Windrix Hall
by M3535
Summary: Modern day AU. Windrix Hall is a fancy boarding school in New England. A new student - Johnny - arrives at the school mid-semester. Johnny is an easy target for bullying and he's having difficulties adjusting to his new situation. But he also meets new friends and, not least, the school heartthrob, Sodapop, who completely sweeps him off his feet.
1. Welcome to Windrix Hall

**A/N: So here it is: Our new AU Outsiders fanfic. Again a cooperation between ****Zayhad** & **M3535. We hope you will read and enjoy it! It's going to be a pretty long fic. There will be lots of drama, lots of love, and lots of smut ;)**

**********Disclaim**er: The Outsiders belong to the awesome S.E. Hinton

* * *

**Background info (important!):**

Since this is a quite elaborate AU, you need some background info about the setting, time, characters, etc. We will not give you all details here, but the most necessary ones to get you started.

**Time:** Modern day

**Setting:** An old sophisticated boarding school in New England

**Characters:** Darry is P.E. teacher and football coach at the school, and Pony and Soda went to live with him when their parents died. They live in a small apartment at the school grounds and attend classes for free because of Darry's status as teacher. Dallas, Steve and Johnny are rich kids living at the school. The fanfic starts as Johnny arrives at the school as a new student. Two-Bit does community service in the kitchens.

**Ages:** Ponyboy: 15 – Johnny: 16 – Sodapop & Steve: 17 – Dallas & Two-Bit: 18 – Darry: 24

**Zayhad** has drawn each of the characters in school uniforms/clothing. See the folder on deviantart: **Windrix Hall - Character designs **(direct link on my profile)

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**Chapter 1 – "Welcome to Windrix Hall"**

The cab rolled down the long straight avenue. Trees on both sides stood tall against the sky, and many of the leaves that had already started to turn red and yellow, had fallen down onto the pavement. As the cab drove through them, they lifted into the air as spirals of colors.

Johnny sat with his forehead pressed against the window, watching the trees go by. It was fall here and it was easy to see. It was also much colder than back home in Georgia. He remembered shivering when he got off the plane at the airport. He had never been this far north.

But here he was. In New England. Sent off to boarding school. His parents thought it was best for everyone. Best for everyone? Yes, that's what they said. Wasn't it? Johnny didn't like to think about it, so he pushed the thought away as fast as it had popped up.

The cab swung into an impressive driveway in front of the main building. As it came to a halt, Johnny got out, adjusted his glasses and gazed up at the large stone building. It looked almost like a palace or a manor. But to him it also looked like a prison. A place he had been sent off to, thousands of miles from home, without anybody having asked him what he thought about the idea.

The driver took out Johnny's bags and placed them next to him. He only had two - a school bag and a suitcase - so there was no need for the driver to help him carry them inside.

"Have a great year, kid," he said before getting back into the cab and driving off. Johnny looked over his shoulder after the car and wished that he were in it. Then he turned his gaze towards the building again and gulped. So this was where he was going to spend the next two years of his life...

**o0o0o**

A boy in full school uniform (black pants, white shirt, green jumper and jacket, and green/white striped tie) met Johnny on the front steps. He had a short, classy haircut and looked about eighteen.

"Are you the new student - Johnny Cade?"

"Y-yes," nodded Johnny.

"Welcome to Windrix Hall," said the boy and shook Johnny's hand. He smiled widely, revealing very straight, very white teeth. "My name is Frederic Spencer. I'm school prefect and have been given the task of getting you settled in. Just leave your bags here – I'll send Merrill out to get them."

They went through the large front doors and entered an impressive hall. There were no one around, so Johnny figured the students were either in class or in their dorms.

"Where are you from?" asked Spencer as they walked down the hallway. "You don't sound like you're from around here."

"G-Georgia."

"Ah, yes. Your accent did tip me off that you were from down there," said Frederic and gave Johnny a look that might have been a bit disapproving; or maybe it was just Johnny imagining things. "Well, we do have students from all over the country, but most are from the North, of course."

Johnny looked at Frederic for a moment, puzzled about the look that had appeared shortly on his face. Was being from the South a bad thing?

"Um... H-how is the school? I mean... what are the teachers and students like?" Johnny asked, trying to cut back on his southern accent.

Johnny had always been very shy and kept to himself, but now he had to live at a school and even share a room with strangers. He was very nervous about that, of course, but maybe people here were nice and would want to talk to him. And if they didn't want to talk, then maybe they would just leave him alone. He would be okay by himself; he had lived like that most of his life. Being invisible was better than being kicked around.

"Oh, you will find it much to your liking. It's a great privilege going to this school. It offers only the best: excellent teachers, top working facilities, sophisticated living quarters, very good sports teams, beautiful surroundings. And all based on proud tradition and history," finished Spencer, looking very proud indeed.

"That sounds nice," Johnny smiled. "So, um…" He adjusted his glasses again and brushed his bangs away from his eyes. "What do I need to do? Fill out some papers, or…?"

"Everything should have been taken care of by your parents and the school administration. The headmaster will want to meet you, of course, but he's not available today so you will have to wait until tomorrow."

They walked up a few stairs and down a long corridor. There were a few student hanging out and Johnny got the elevator look as he passed. He felt like they were already judging him even though they didn't even know him. He sighed. He did not have a good feeling about this, and again he wished he had just jumped back into the cab and driven off.

"I will show you the living quarters after we're done with the school. Now -" Spencer said, and pushed open a set of heavy oaken doors, "- this is the library. Quite impressive, isn't it?"

The library was huge. Hundreds of shelves full of books, all sizes and ages, going from floor to ceiling.

"We have one of the oldest and most well-assorted libraries in the state."

"Wow," Johnny said as he looked up and down the many shelves. He loved books and was very impressed, but he tried not to act like this was too much of a big deal. He didn't want to come off as a nerd. "Um… Very impressive. Really."

"Do you mind?" a voice said and Johnny spun around. A boy was sitting at a table with a few books, studying. He shot them both a mean look.

"S-sorry," Johnny said, but the boy just shushed on him.

"You should welcome our new student, Williams, instead of being rude," reprimanded Spencer.

The boy – Williams - just rolled his eyes.

After a quick tour of the rest of the school, Frederic Spencer showed Johnny to the living quarters.

"You share a dorm with three other sophomores," said the prefect and knocked on the door to one of the dormitories.

"Yeah?" a voice sounded from the other side of the door.

Spencer opened the door and Johnny spotted three boys, all a good deal bigger than him.

"This is Johnny Cade," Spencer introduced. "He will be sharing your room."

"He-hello," said Johnny and gave a hesitant wave.

"Hi, I'm Tyler," one of them replied. "Welcome to Windrix Hall."

"Johnny," said Spencer when no one else seemed to be about to introduce themselves. "This is Victor Hanson, and that one is Harry Greene."

Victor and Harry barely spared Johnny a look.

"Move all your stuff from Johnny's bed and shelves," commanded Spencer. "Go on - he can't sleep on a pile of books and dirty clothes."

The others got up and grumpily started moving all the things that was lying on what was to be Johnny's bed.

The prefect gave Johnny a small handbook with rules and guidelines of the school, and advised him to read it thoroughly. Then he left him alone with his new dorm mates.

Johnny stood for a few seconds with the book, looking at the three others. Then he went over at sat down on the bed that was now free from books and clothes.

"So… um... Where ya'll from?" he asked shyly.

"We're from New England," Victor said in a haughty tone, looking at Johnny like he was an unsavory bug or something. "And _you _sound like you're from down south..."

"Yeah, I'm from Georgia," Johnny replied, trying to ignore the fact that Victor sounded like he was better than him.

"Yeah - Southern trash. As we thought," Harry said and turned back to his computer.

"Ah, come on, guys," Tyler said. Then he turned to Johnny. "I'm from Boston. Victor and Harry are on the football team, so they think they're oh so important," he grinned and elbowed Victor in the side.

Johnny sighed and started unpacking. He was not looking forward to his stay here. But at least one of his roommates seemed friendly enough.

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******A/N: Zayhad (Deviantart) will draw an illustration for every chapter ********(Links can be found on my profile).**


	2. You're in My Seat

**Chapter 2 – ****"You're in My Seat"**

Ponyboy dragged himself up the stairs to the small apartment on the school grounds he shared with his two brothers. Man, was he beat! The coach had worked them hard tonight - not just running, but a bunch of power- and flexibility exercises as well.

He barely made it past the doorstep before something came flying at him, hitting him in the chest and knocking him onto his back.

Ponyboy was startled but not exactly surprised. When home before him, his older brother, Sodapop, liked to lie in wait and pounce on him when he came in through the door. Ponyboy just cursed himself for forgetting this and not being prepared.

"Soda," Pony moaned, looking up at the seventeen-year-old sitting on his chest, grinning down at him like the Cheshire Cat. "I'm real sore! Coach was mean today."

"Don't be such a wimp," laughed Sodapop, keeping Ponyboy pinned to the ground by his wrists.

"_Gerroff_ me," barked Ponyboy and tried to throw off his brother by twisting and bucking.

Sodapop just looked like Christmas had come early and made himself more comfortable on his little brother's chest.

Darry emerged from the small kitchen and observed them with a very grumpy look on his face. "Soda, get off him. I ain't in the mood for any whining right now."

Darry didn't really mean to hiss at them but he was just so tired. He had been teaching all day and then practice with the football team. Some of the rich spoiled kids, who believed they could do whatever they wanted, had given him a hard time. He wished he could just chuck them off the team, but if he did that, their parents would probably go to the school board and he would end up with more trouble.

"Pony, get started on your homework right now. You're short of time since you're home so late."

Going to school at a top educational institution like Windrix Hall was a once in a life opportunity for his brothers, so be damned if Darry wasn't going to make sure they got the best out of it. Especially Ponyboy. Darry knew Sodapop did not have academic ambitions or the abilities of his youngest brother.

Sodapop sighed as he climbed off Pony and got up.

"You're talking like I've been out doing nothing useful," said Ponyboy, getting to his feet, and sent his oldest brother a sulky look. "I had track practice - you know that."

"Yeah, well, if you played football like I wanted you to, then you'd have been off early," Darry snapped and went back into the kitchen.

He opened the fridge to find whatever food he could and sighed when he realized that they had forgotten to go shopping.

"Soda! Pony! One of you get your ass down to the kitchens and see if you can buy something for dinner. Since no one bothered to go shopping, we gotta beg Mrs. Harris to let us buy from the kitchens. Again…"

"You want me to go?" Sodapop asked Ponyboy, his hand already on the doorknob.

"Let's both go..."

Pony didn't feel like being alone with Darry right now when he was in one of his moods. Why did he always have to be on his back about not playing football? It was never _'Wow, Pony, that was real well done,'_ when he won a race. It was _'That speed is wasted on the track. It could be put to much better use on the football field.'_

He moodily kicked a small rock as he and Soda walked across the courtyard toward the main building. Darry never bothered Soda about playing football. He said it was because Soda didn't have a talent for it, like Pony did, but Pony had a feeling Darry wouldn't bug him about it even if he _had_ had the talent. He let Sodapop do whatever he wanted.

And Sodapop wanted to ride horses. He was crazy about horses - always had been. So he was on the school equestrian team, and Darry thought that was just fine - even though their parents had actually forbidden Soda to ride after a bad accident. A small part of Ponyboy had been relieved when they did, because he too was scared that Soda might get himself killed one day, riding like a madman the way he did. Not that Ponyboy would ever want to keep Soda away from the horses that he loved so much; he just wished he would be more careful.

Sodapop, as he so often did, seemed to know what Pony was thinking about. "It ain't that he ain't proud of ya for what you do on the track," he said, slinging an arm around Ponyboy's shoulder. "He just really wishes you'd play football, because that's _his _sport and he'd love to show off his prodigy little brother to the world."

Ponyboy just huffed. Sodapop was an excellent judge of character, but even he didn't know everything.

**o0o0o**

It was busy in the kitchens since dinner was almost ready to be served. Students had begun filing in and sitting down at the tables as Soda and Ponyboy snuck in through the back door.

Mrs. Harris, the head of the kitchens, was ordering people around like she was a colonel of an army.

"Keith!" she scolded. "There's too much salt in this!"

A red-haired young man turned to face her with a grin. "It's corn, right? They can heat 'em over the candles and they got popcorn! I just think ahead. And call me Two-Bit!"

"_You _will be in two bits if you don't fix it, mister!"

She turned around as the back door opened and her face split into a broad grin when she spotted Pony and Soda.

"Hello, sugar pies. What brings you to my kitchen?"

"Howdy, ma'am," said Sodapop and flashed her his sweetest smile. "We were wondering if ya could help out a couple of poor starving country boys."

Ponyboy laughed to himself. Coming from the slums of Tulsa, they were no more country boys than Mrs. Harris was, but here most people seemed to think that everybody from south of D.C. were farmers.

Mrs. Harris eyed Sodapop, tilting her head and planting her hands on her hips. "Did your brother forget to feed you poor babies? Or did you two forget to go shopping again?"

Sodapop looked as innocent as he possibly could and Mrs. Harris shook her head.

"It's a good thing you come to me, then. If I didn't work here you boys would starve to death."

"No, no, Shirley. I'd cook for 'em," said Two-Bit and stuck a cigarette in between his lips.

"Like I said - you boys would starve to death if I didn't work here," Mrs. Harris said and snatched the cigarette away from her assistant. "How many times do I have to tell you cigarettes are banned from my kitchen? And it's Mrs. Harris to you, mister!"

Then she went to the fridge, found some leftovers from the day before, and handed them to Sodapop.

"Here you go, sugar," she said and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Now be sure to let your big brother prepare that. I don't want it ruined by your cooking. And I don't want you to kill your sweet little brother here, either."

"I'm a terrific cook," protested Sodapop. "I've no idea who told you I wasn't," he said and looked intently at Ponyboy. "I'm just creative. It's like some of them painters who weren't appreciated in their own time but became real famous later, when people got their eyes open for their talent. Like that guy, Van Dough, or something."

"Van Gogh," Ponyboy corrected.

"Exactly! I'm the Van Gogh of cooking."

"And I'm sure it looks like his work, too. Messy and with a lot of colors," Mrs. Harris commented.

**o0o0o**

Johnny walked through the doors to the dining hall and stopped for a second, trying to get an overview of the room. It looked like a ballroom, he thought, with its shiny tile floor and raised ceiling. There were tables standing in long straight lines, and along the far wall food was being carried in and arranged.

Johnny spotted his roommates at one of the tables, but even though Tyler waved at him, Johnny decided to go sit by himself. Mostly because Harry and Victor seemed not to like him very much.

**o0o0o**

Dallas Winston came strolling into the dining hall once the other students had started eating. He couldn't be bothered showing up on time. Why should he sit and wait for the food? The food could wait for him.

He stopped abruptly, surprised to find someone sitting in his usual seat. Who was dumb enough to do _that_? There were no assigned seating arrangements, but everybody knew where Dallas liked to sit and anyone who didn't have a death wish stayed clear of that seat.

He walked up behind the kid, planted a hand on each of his shoulders, and growled in a low voice, "You're in my seat."

Johnny's face went white and he could feel the small hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"I... I'm s-sorry," he stuttered. "I didn't know. I just... t-transferred..."

He slowly turned his head to look at the teen behind him and gulped. This guy looked dangerous. He had a sharply angled face and icy blue eyes with a mean glint. He looked like he wouldn't hesitate breaking Johnny in two.

"I... I'll just move," said Johnny and quickly got up.

Dallas glared at the small, scrawny boy. From the way he looked, there was no doubt he was speaking the truth about not knowing that he had sat in the wrong seat. Dallas couldn't decide if he was satisfied with the look of horror on the kid's face, or if he was, in fact, disappointed that he hadn't been cheeky and given him an excuse to beat him up.

"Don't forget your food," he said and swiped Johnny's plate off the table so that it crashed near his feet, mashed potatoes and gravy splattering up on Johnny's shoes and pants.

The whole room went silent at the sound of the shattering plate and everybody stared at Dallas and Johnny.

Johnny took a step back as he looked up at the tall blonde. He could feel sweat starting to break out on his forehead, and took a deep shaking breath, trying to steady his nerves.

Dallas just smirked with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

"What's this noise?" Mrs. Harris demanded, as she came marching out from the kitchens. "Dallas Winston! Are you causing trouble again?" she asked, spotting the food on the floor.

Dallas was the biggest troublemaker in the school, so Mrs. Harris knew he was the reason for the scene.

Dallas looked at the plump black woman standing in front of him with her hands planted on her hips.

"Kid had slippery hands. It ain't my fault," he grinned.

She looked at Johnny. "Is that true?"

Johnny gulped and nodded. "Ye-yes ma'am," he said. "It's my fault."

Mrs. Harris sighed. "Come with me, sugar. Let's get you cleaned up. Keith – please wipe up this mess."

Two-Bit fetched some paper towels and a bucket of water, and kneeled to start cleaning up.

Dally looked down at him. "This must be the best job you ever had, Mathews. Beats shoplifting, doesn't it? Or are you just itching to go back to your old occupation?"

"Yeah, well… At least I work for a living instead of sponging on my parents."

Dallas stepped a little closer with an angry look on his face. "I could knock out all your teeth with just one kick when you're sittin' like that," he growled and tapped his toes on the floor as if he was considering doing it. "It ain't even a real job is it? I heard you're doing community service."

"Oh? I see it as clearing up someone's mess. And I ain't talking about my own. Or the small kid's. But - I would suspect something like that from you. Kicking me while I'm down. That's what ya do ain't it?"

Two-Bit got up and looked at Dallas. He didn't want to let him know that his words had gotten to him. Two-Bit had a few months earlier been caught shoplifting at a small store, but luckily they had only given him community service and not jail time. He wasn't very proud of it. Well, not the shoplifting part. More the getting caught part.

**o0o0o**

Mrs. Harris sat Johnny down and handed him a piece of cloth so he could clean his shoes and pants.

"What's your name, sugar?"

"J-Johnny..."

"Well, Johnny - you best be staying away from Dallas Winston. He's bad news. That kid hates the world and everyone in it."

Johnny looked up at her. He had already more than made up his mind to let that guy alone. "I… actually considered going out and beating him up… but now you tell me to stay away I guess I better..." he said as an attempt of being funny.

Mrs. Harris laughed. "I like you. You're a sweetheart."

**o0o0o**

Dally clenched his teeth, forcing himself to keep calm. It was probably a bad idea to start beating the shit out of Kitchen Boy in the middle of the dining hall with everybody watching. Even if he _could_ get away with almost anything without serious consequences. Oh, they punished him, all right - he spent most days after school in detention - but they didn't expel him no matter what he did. Dally's father was incredibly rich and made very large donations to the school, so throwing Dally out wasn't really an option.

"Just watch your back, Mathews," he growled before moving over to get some food.

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**A/N: Remember to check out the illustration for the chapter (link on my profile).**


	3. That's my Brother, Sodapop

**Chapter 3 – "That's my Brother, Sodapop"**

The next morning Johnny walked down the hall, yawning, heading for his first class. He had barely gotten any sleep last night. The others had been up late reading adult magazines. Tyler had offered him to have a look, but Johnny had politely declined, which made Victor and Harry start to tease him about being either gay or a baby. When they had finally turned off the lights, Johnny had lain awake for hours, not feeling comfortable sleeping in new surroundings and with strangers who didn't like him.

He walked, looking down, hoping to avoid attracting attention to himself. However, it just resulted in him bumping into somebody.

"Watch where you're going, geek," the guy snapped and sent him an angry glare.

_Great start on my first day..._ Johnny thought to himself and hurried on.

**o0o0o**

Tuesday started out with Ponyboy's least favorite class: Math. The main reason it was his least favorite wasn't so much the subject. It was the teacher.

Mr. Lamarck was a mean old man who liked to bully his students - especially the weak ones. He would favor the students he liked and embarrass the ones he disliked. Ponyboy was one of Mr. Lamarck's favorite targets. He disliked him simply because he was Sodapop's brother. Soda had once called him a bully right to his face and said that he must have something to compensate for.

**o0o0o**

Johnny tried to slip through the door without anyone noticing him, and quietly found a seat at the back. He dreaded the first lesson. Johnny had never been good at math. His teacher at his old school had tried her best to help him for years but it hadn't done much good.

There was one other boy already seated in the classroom. The rest of them were standing or sitting near the windows, talking. The boy looked too young to be in tenth grade. But then again, so did Johnny.

When the bell rang, Mr. Lamarck walked in, looking like he wished he didn't have to deal with a bunch of stupid teenagers. He sat down and started checking that everybody was there. He just called people's last names, except Pony's, and the tone he used made it clear that he thought Ponyboy was a ridiculous name.

Johnny looked at the boy out of the corner of his eye. His name was Ponyboy?

"Cade," the teacher called.

"Y-yeah," Johnny stuttered.

All the students turned to get a good look at him. Students who started in the middle of the school year always attracted attention.

The teacher looked at him curiously. "You're new? Where are you from?"

"Georgia," said Johnny in nearly a whisper.

"I can't hear you. Speak up!"

"G-Georgia," repeated Johnny, a little louder.

"Well," said the Mr. Lamarck. "Let's hear how good math classes are down in Georgia, shall we? Let's start out with an easy one - can you tell me Pythagoras' theorem?"

"Py-pythagoras' th-theory?" Johnny said nervously. He didn't recall ever hearing about it. A few of the students started giggling and the teacher looked at him impatiently. "I… I don't think I know… th-that one," Johnny stuttered, trying to ignore the other student's giggling.

The math teacher just raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well, let's see... Then tell me the square root of 121."

Johnny bit his lower lip and felt his heart drum against his chest. "S… s... six?"

"He dosen't know," said a pretty girl with blond hair.

"And you know, Miss?"

"It's 11, Mr. Lamarck," she said, smiling sweetly.

"You're so smart, Sandy," said the girl next to the blonde.

Johnny stared down at the table, feeling stupid and humiliated.

Ponyboy felt bad for the new boy. Mr. Lamarck had already found out he was a good victim, and knowing him he would keep picking on him. Pony decided to talk to him after class.

**o0o0o**

"Hey. I'm Ponyboy," he said, introducing himself. "But you probably already noticed that. What's your first name?"

Johnny glanced at him nervously. "It's… It's J-Johnny," he said, looking down again. He had not spoken a word the rest of the lesson after Mr. Lamarck had finally left him alone.

Ponyboy sent him a friendly smile. "You wanna go get some fresh air?"

Johnny nodded and followed him outside. It was a bit cold but it was nice to get some air. He had felt like the walls were closing in on him inside, so it was liberating being able to breathe properly.

"So math ain't your thing. What's your favorite subject, then?" asked Ponyboy, striking up a conversation.

"History," Johnny said, glancing nervously at the other boy, trying to figure him out. "What's yours?"

"I like history, too!" Pony smiled. "But my _favorite_ is English. I love reading. I can get totally lost in a novel. And I love writing, too. I'd really like to become a writer one day. That might be a stupid dream, but if you can't dream, what can you do?"

Johnny smiled at him. "I guess they are. I like to read, too. What's your favorite book?"

"Well, well," sounded a drawling voice behind them. "What's this? Gathering of the nerds?"

Johnny looked over his shoulder and saw a small flock of older teens standing by the wall.

"Found a new nerd friend, horseboy?" said a black haired boy. "Oh, You're the new Southern kid. I heard about you from Victor. He says you're an awfully boring roommate."

"We j-ust ain't g-got the same i-i-interests," stuttered Johnny.

"O-o-okay," the guy mocked.

Ponyboy turned and started to walk away, motioning for Johnny to follow him. They could hear them roaring with laughter behind them.

"Just try to ignore 'em," said Pony once they had gotten out of hearing range. "They're real jerks those guys. Thinks they're so much better than the rest of us. It's Bob, Randy, Matt and David back there, and there's a handful more of 'em. We call them Socs."

Johnny shot a look over his shoulder at the boys, and then back at Ponyboy. "Socs? It's like some kinda gang?"

"Yeah, I guess you can say that... They stick together and look down on the rest of us. They think they're better than everybody else - like I said - because they're from old sophisticated New England families. They're just snobs, really, wearing the "right" designer close and doing fancy sports like rowing, tennis, and dressage riding. Some of them play football too, though, because that's popular all over." Ponyboy sighed. "Just stay clear of them if you can. They're real bullies."

Johnny just bit his lip and nodded.

**o0o0o**

They had third period together as well and walked to lunch together afterwards. Johnny looked more relaxed and comfortable now. He was probably happy not to have to sit alone eating, Pony thought. He was just getting Johnny to open up a bit and tell him about himself when someone came bouncing up behind him, threw an arm around his neck, and ruffled his hair.

"SODA! My _hair_!" Ponyboy whined. "I spent twenty minutes on that this morning!"

Sodapop tossed his head back and laughed, his eyes dancing with mischief. "You're so funny, Pony, spending all that time in front of the mirror. You don't need to - you're a real handsome guy."

"Easy for you to say," said Ponyboy grumpily. "Some of us ain't lucky like you, who can just jump out of bed and look perfect."

"Who's your friend?" asked Sodapop, who had just noticed Johnny sitting opposite Ponyboy, staring at them.

"That's Johnny Cade. He just transferred here from Georgia."

"Well, hello Johnny Cade," smiled Sodapop, resting his elbows on Pony's shoulders.

**o0o0o**

Johnny had been sitting with his head bent when Ponyboy made an outburst about wanting a soda. It had made him look up, wondering if the kid had a bad addiction since he had to burst it out like that. His eyes fell on a guy hanging on Pony. Johnny's jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

_Holy..._

The boy was a bit taller than Ponyboy. He had a finely drawn face, dark gold hair, and deep brown, dancing eyes. More beautiful than anyone Johnny had ever seen.

_Oh God, he's good looking!_

"That's Johnny Cade," Pony said and Johnny snapped out of his dream world.

"Well, hello Johnny Cade," the boy said, smiling at him.

Johnny felt all the blood rushing to his head and his mouth go dry. "H-hu-hullo," he finally managed to croak. The boy kept looking at him with a soft smile on his face, and Johnny got extremely shy. He glanced around, desperate for a way to escape the situation. Then he pulled out a book from his bag.

"Hey, Soda," said someone approaching.

"Steve, my man!" Sodapop grinned.

Steve stopped next to Sodapop, patting him on the back. "Hey, Ponyboy. Who's your new tagalong?"

"That's Johnny Cade…"

Steve studied the black-haired kid hiding behind the book. "He must be real smart. Reading a book upside down and all..."

Johnny gulped and flipped the book over so it turned the right way. "Yeah… y-yeah, well... I-I... I just… I..." he stuttered but then gave up trying to explain himself.

_God - you're so stupid, Johnny! _he thought, mentally kicking himself.

Steve dragged off with Sodapop to go get something to eat.

Ponyboy watched Johnny staring after them. He didn't think anything much of it - he was used to people staring at Soda when they first saw him. He was the kind of guy people stopped on the street to watch go by.

"Wh-who was _that_?" breathed Johnny, putting his book down slowly.

"That's my brother, Sodapop," said Pony with a hint of pride. "He's seventeen. He's a real great, real special guy. I've never met anyone like him. Everybody loves Soda. Well, except the Socs and a few others…"

Johnny looked over at Sodapop and his friend, Steve, who were messing around as they stood in line for the some food.

"He…he looks great – I mean _seems_ great!"

_Stop it! Haven't you made enough of an ass of yourself already?_

Johnny sat there for a while, then realized he was staring again and quickly looked at Ponyboy. "Um… So… Where you from?" Johnny could tell by Pony's accent that he, too, was from somewhere down south.

"Oklahoma," answered Ponyboy. "Our parent's died in a car crash last year so me and Soda came here to live with our big brother, Darry. He's P.E. teacher and football coach. We're real lucky we're allowed to attend school for free and stay in Darry's apartment. Otherwise we would've had to be sent to a boys' home."

"O-oh… I'm so sorry. About your parents. So... is Darry nice, then?"

"He's..." Pony stopped. He wasn't sure if he should tell Johnny how he felt about Darry. He had to remind himself they had only just met, even though it felt like they had known each other for a while. He really liked Johnny. "He's... he's ok. But... he ain't nothin' like Sodapop. If I hadn't had Soda I don't know how I'd have been able to go on after Mom and Dad died. Darry doesn't like me too much. He's kinda strict."

Johnny titled his head and scratched his neck. His father was strict too, but he wasn't sure exactly what Ponyboy meant by strict. Johnny's father believed in discipline. The kind enforced with belts and fists.

"He... He don't hit you, does he?" Johnny decided to ask.

"What? No! Not like that. He just yells at me. But he's always on my back about something. I can't do anything right."

Pony felt a little guilty talking about Darry like that to a stranger. He decided to change the subject.

"So what about your parents - what are they like? Why did they send you up here in the middle of the school year?"

"M-my parents?" Johnny dropped his head a little. Yes - why _had_ he been sent here in the middle of the school year?

_Johnny came home from school, finding his mother sitting at the coffee table, a glass of wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other._

_"Jesus… Are you home already?" she said when she saw Johnny._

_"Yes. We got off early. A teacher was sick but I got my report card," he said, excitedly. "I got an A in history and -"_

_"I wish they made schools that kept the students all day, so I wouldn't have to look at you all the time," she cut him off._

_Johnny's father came home a few hours later. Johnny took in a deep breath and walked out into the kitchen where his parents were talking._

_"Dad? I got my report ca-"_

_Mr. Cade spun around and backhanded Johnny so hard that he got knocked back against the wall._

_"Be quiet, boy! Can't you see I'm talking to your mother?"_

_Johnny pressed a hand to his burning cheek and forced himself not to start crying._

_"That damn kid," said Mrs. Cade. "See what I said? He's so annoying! I wish he was eighteen already so we could throw him out."_

_Mr. Cade looked at his son and then at his wife. "I could make a few calls and get him on a boarding school far away… They keep kids there until they're eighteen. Then we don't have to look at him anymore."_

"Johnny?"

Johnny snapped out of his thoughts and looked back at Ponyboy.

"I asked why you came in the middle of the school year."

"Oh, yeah. They… M-my parents thought it would be good for me."

That didn't really answer Ponyboy's question, but Johnny looked uncomfortable for some reason so Pony decided not to ask again. Maybe he was homesick and didn't like to think about it.

"What about sports?" he asked instead. "Do you do any? We have some real great teams."

Johnny shook his head. "I ain't no good at sports. What about you?"

"I love sports! I'm on the track team. Darry wants me to play football, but I like track the best. Not that I don't like playing football for fun – I just ain't into it the way Darry is. You really never tried a sport you like? Or thought about trying something new?"

"I just… I ain't no good at any of the sports I tried. My classmates were all bigger and stronger than me, so I always sucked compared to them," said Johnny, feeling ashamed of himself.

"Well, there're lots of sports where it ain't an advantage being big," said Ponyboy, noticing how small and skinny the other boy was.

"Your brother, Sodapop... Is he's into sports?" asked Johnny.

"Yeah, he loves sports too. He loves anything that blows off steam. But he ain't real serious about it the way me and Darry are. He doesn't care too much if he wins anything, he just does it for fun. He's on the equestrian team here, though. He's always been horse crazy. He rode western back home, of course, but they don't have that here - 'cause it ain't fancy enough, I guess - so now he rides cross-country."

Ponyboy went on and on talking about his brother and horses, about Mickey Mouse, how Soda had cried all night when he was sold, and how Ponyboy had tried saving up for a whole year so he could buy him for Soda.

"I'm sorry if I talk too much about my brother," Pony said, suddenly realizing how long he had been talking. He was usually the quiet type, but Johnny was just so easy to talk to.

"No, no, that's fine," Johnny smiled.

He was about to say something when he spotted the mean boy from the day before. Johnny sunk down in his seat and gulped.

"Oh God - it's that guy from yesterday."

Pony turned and spotted Dallas as well. "You mean Dallas Winston?"

Johnny nodded. "Yeah... I accidently sat in his seat yesterday. He threw my food on the floor."

Ponyboy's eyes went wide. "Man... you're lucky that's all he did! You need to stay away from him. He ain't right in the head. He'll smash your face in for just looking at him the wrong way. I don't know why he hasn't been kicked out a million times already. Darry says it's because his parents are real rich or powerful or something. "

"Is he one of them Socs?"

"No, no," laughed Pony. "Just because you're rich don't make you a Soc. Dallas is nothing like them. Just look at the way he dresses, for starters. You can say a lot of thing about him, but he ain't a snob. About the only positive thing about him I can think of…"

Johnny sat up a little straighter and looked over at Dallas. It was true. He didn't wear his uniform the way he was supposed to. His shirt wasn't tugged into his pants and his tie was loose and askew. His hair looked uncombed and messy.

"So… so he's just a bully..." Johnny said.

A sudden noise was heard from the kitchen, followed by Mrs. Harris loudly yelling: "KEITH!"

"Who's Keith?" asked Johnny.

"Oh - Two-Bit?" grinned Ponyboy. "Only Mrs. Harris calls him Keith. Well, and his mom probably. He's doing community service, helping out in the kitchens. He's an awesome guy. Real funny and always joking around. And he can get you _anything_. Except drugs. He won't do those. You know we ain't allowed to leave school grounds except for one weekend a month. Well, technically me and Soda ain't bound by that rule because we don't live in the dorms, but Darry's real strict - like I told you - and he keeps us on a short leash. Says we should live by the same conditions as the rest of the students. I think it's real stupid, if you ask me. Anyways, when people need stuff they ain't allowed to have here or they can't buy in the school shop they go to Two-Bit. You know stuff like booze, smokes, and… you know..." Pony leaned closer to Johnny so he could hear him whisper, "...porn."

"So… so he just gets stuff for the students? No strings attached?"

"Well, he ain't doin' it for free, if that's what you think," laughed Pony. "He makes a real nice profit. But most of these kids have money enough, so they don't care how expensive it is."

"Right…" said Johnny, leaning back in his seat. It sounded almost like in a prison, he thought, where there's always a guy who can get anything.

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**A/N: Remember to check out the illustration for the chapter (link on my profile).**


	4. Try not to Let 'em Bother Ya

**Chapter 4 – ****Try not to Let 'em Bother Ya**** "**

"Hey there, Soda Sugarpop" purred Sandy and dropped down next to Sodapop, who had just finished his lunch. "Where've you been? I haven't seen you for ages."

"You saw him in English," Steve pointed out. "Which was like 30 minutes ago."

Sandy sent Steve a glare and then turned back to Soda. "Sodapop... when are you gonna ask me out again? We had fun last time, didn't we?"

"You asked _me_ out," Sodapop corrected her. "And we ain't gonna do that again, 'cause... you and me just wouldn't work."

"Why?" she asked and looked at him, pushing her chest forward so her already exposed breasts became even more noticeable. "I thought we had a lot of fun," she purred, playing with a lock of Sodapop's hair.

**o0o0o**

Johnny, who couldn't help sneaking a peak at Sodapop once in a while, saw the girl from math sitting up against him, playing with his hair. So Sodapop had a girlfriend… And it was the girl that had made fun of Johnny.

_Of course he has a girlfriend. And why should I care who he's dating?_

**o0o0o**

"You're a real sweetheart and all, but there's just no chemistry," said Soda.

Truth be told he was a little tired of her. He had never been interested and had only said yes to a date because she was Steve's girlfriend's (Evie) best friend and she wanted to go on a double date. Soda had kissed her good night and that was it. Oh, he knew very well that wasn't what she had told all her girlfriends. It didn't bother him, though. He didn't care what people thought about him.

Sandy leaned in closer and whispered in his ear, "I can be a bad girl if you want me to…"

She was a bit angry that Sodapop had not wanted to come back to her room after the date. She wanted him so badly. They would be the school's hottest couple, and all the other girls would wish they were her.

Sodapop did his best not to look down Sandy's cleavage - which wasn't easy, since she had basically shoved her chest in his face.

"I'm sure you can, but I don't want you to."

He put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back a bit so he could breathe without inhaling perfume. He caught a glimpse of Steve's expression. He knew Steve was very annoyed that he didn't just tell her to stay the hell away from him. Soda _had _told her many times - just phrased more politely. Steve said that spoiled girls like Sandy didn't understand 'polite', but Sodapop didn't like hurting people's feelings.

**o0o0o**

"I… I'm just gonna go get my books for next class. I'll be right back," Johnny said and got up. He couldn't shake the unpleasant feeling he had gotten from seeing that girl all over Sodapop. It was strange, really – he had only just met the guy.

Johnny got his books out of his locker, locked it, and turned around. He nearly dropped his books in surprise when seeing the boys from earlier standing right in front of him.

"Hey there, s-s-stutter," one of them said. "Where're you off to?"

"Class..." Johnny said in a low voice.

"We don't like Southerners here," the black-haired one said. "Maybe you should just go home."

"Look… I-I don't want any t-trouble," Johnny said, trying to keep his voice under control. Why did he always have to stutter when he got nervous?

The guy laughed and with a sudden movement he knocking Johnny's books out of his hand. "Oops."

Johnny pressed himself back against the locker and held his breath.

"Hey, BOB!"

The black-haired guy turned and spotted Steve and Sodapop standing a bit further down the hall.

"Don't you have some iron to pump and some steroids to inject?"

"Fuck you, Randle!" replied Bob. For a moment, he looked like he was considering starting an argument, but then seemed to decide not to. "Screw it. We're gonna be late for class," he mumbled to his friends, and they headed off.

Sodapop and Steve walked up to Johnny who was still standing frozen by his locker. Soda squatted and started to gather Johnny's books, which lay scattered on the floor.

"Try not to let 'em bother ya," he said, looking up at Johnny. "They're just a bunch of idiots who got nothing better to do than bully younger kids."

He stood up and handed the books to Johnny. Their hands touched for a second. "Or at least don't let 'em see that it bothers you. Then ya ain't no fun teasin'," he continued, smiling.

Johnny's face burned red as he took the books from Sodapop. He gave him a small smile and nodded. "I'll try not to bother 'em. I mean – let them b-bother me... Not that I let 'em do it on p-purpose... or… anything... 'cause that would just be… strange... right?"

_What the hell am I saying? Shut up, already!_

Johnny hugged the books tight to his chest and bit his bottom lip as he looked down at his shoes.

"Come on, Soda. We got Calculus," said Steve and marched Sodapop off. "That kid is strange," he said as they got a bit away.

"He's just shy," Sodapop protested. "It ain't easy being the new kid."

**o0o0o**

A few days later Johnny had to face his first PE class. Ponyboy knew he was very nervous because he wasn't good at sports. Pony hoped Darry hadn't planned on football or another rough sport. Pony wasn't much bigger than Johnny - being younger than the others and even small for his age - but he was fast and fit so he could match the big guys fairly well. Plus - he had a real talent for football as Darry kept reminding him.

Pony smiled when Darry told them they were playing baseball. That couldn't be so bad, he thought. He turned to Johnny.

"Baseball ain't that bad, is it?"

Johnny adjusted his glasses nervously. "I dunno. I haven't actually tried playing it… "

In elementary school, Johnny's PE teacher had been easy on him and let him just watch the others most of the time, because he was so bad at sports and the others teased him about it. And in Jr. High, PE had not been a mandatory subject. So no, Johnny had never actually played baseball. He watched it on TV sometimes with his uncle, who was a huge baseball fan. Whenever he visited and there was a game on, he would sit Johnny down to watch it with him. Johnny would pretend to enjoy it, although what he mostly enjoyed was just his uncle's company. He was nice to him and when he visited, Johnny's parents weren't as abusive as normal.

Ponyboy's jaw dropped. Johnny had never played baseball? Pony thought every kid in the country knew how to play. Even poor kids had a baseball glove and any vaguely normal father was looking forward to the day their kid was old enough to learn to throw and catch a ball. But maybe Johnny's father wasn't vaguely normal...

Darry started putting students into teams when he spotted his little brother talking to a boy he had not seen before. He walked over to them and stood there for a second until they noticed him. "What's your name?" he asked the newcomer.

"St-st-stutter," someone said and the others laughed.

"Be quiet, Jamie!" Darry yelled at the boy and turned back to Johnny.

"Johnny Cade," said Johnny, looking down.

"Oh, there you are," Darry said and crossed Johnny off on the list. "Must have missed the name."

He finished dividing the students into teams and since Pony seemed to like Johnny, Darry put them on the same team.

Ponyboy was a pretty good player. He was a fair batter and, of course, a good runner. When it was his turn, he hit the ball in second attempt. It wasn't a great hit, but he was fast so he made it to second base, getting the thumbs up from one of his teammates.

Johnny was next up and Pony watched nervously from his base, crossing his fingers.

Johnny could feel his legs shake under him as he stood there. The pitcher looked in his direction. Johnny wasn't sure if he was looking at him or the guy behind him, but then he suddenly nodded and threw the ball. Johnny froze, trying to decide if he should swing or not and then the ball was past him.

"STRIKE ONE!"

Johnny took a deep breath as he saw the pitcher nod again and this time he swung the bat blindly as the ball came flying. He was nowhere near hitting it, and the third pitch had the same result. Johnny walked back to the bench, his head bowed in shame, trying to ignore the laughter from the other team and the booing from his own.

When the class was over Johnny hadn't hit a single ball or caught one when in the field, and their team had lost. Not that it was all Johnny's fault, he wasn't the only bad player, but he was the new kid and it was obvious that he didn't have a clue about how to play.

"Thanks a lot, moron," said Harry. "We would have won if it weren't for you!"

"Shut your mouth!" said Darry who happened to hear it. "I didn't see _you_ hit any home runs, Greene."

Harry didn't talk back but he made a face at Darry's back when he turned away.

Johnny looked close to terrified in the changing rooms when they had to undress for shower. Ponyboy found out why, when he noticed numerous red stripes across his back. Unfortunately, Harry noticed them too.

"What the hell's with the scars? Did your plantation owner whip you for being a bad boy?"

The others laughed.

Harry went on. "Look at him - he's kind of dark skinned. Maybe he's part black. Maybe he _does_ come right from the cotton fields. Did Massa have a little fun with your momma?"

"Slavery was abolished 150 years ago!" Pony cut in, feeling himself get mad. "Didn't you know that? Or did you flunk history again?"

Harry growled at Ponyboy's remark.

"I don't give a shit when. Who cares about history, anyway, Horseboy? It's just a stupid class about something that happened ages ago."

Johnny didn't say anything but quickly got dressed again and left the room. The others laughed and yelled after him why he wasn't going to shower.

"Ain't it enough he looks like a slave?" one said. "Does he have to smell like one as well?"

Johnny just swung his backpack over his shoulder and ran down the hall and out the door. He ran until he almost couldn't breathe anymore and then sank down at the foot of a tree.

He looked up at the few leaves that were still left on the branches, trying desperately to keep himself from crying. But it was no use, the tears had already trickling down his cheeks.

Why was it, that no matter where he went, he was picked on?

**o0o0o**

Ponyboy finished his shower in a hurry so he could go look for Johnny. He finally found him sitting under a tree, hiding his face. Pony squatted down a few feet from him, not sure what to do or say.

"Johnny..." he started.

Johnny's head snapped up but he seemed to relax a bit when he saw who had spoken. Then he hung his head, his long bangs hiding his face.

"I know I keep saying this, but don't let 'em get to ya." When Johnny didn't answer, Pony continued, "They tease me too, for being poor and my name and all that, and sure it bugs me, but I've gotten better at just shrugging it off."

Johnny just sniffed.

"A lot of Yankees are like that - they look down on Southerners. I ain't sayin' they_ all_ do, but it's very common. Most of 'em haven't even been down there and still they think they know everything about it. Soda and I get it too - even though Oklahoma ain't deep South, like Georgia. They just hear the accent and think we're all trash. Rednecks and hillbillies and cowboys. Soda speaks in an even thicker accent than he normally does, just to provoke them. They don't know what to do then. It ain't funny teasin' him when he just plays along with their jokes or even laughs at them. And if they get real nasty, he and Steve can beat most of 'em up, anyway, and they know that. Steve's from Connecticut, by the way, so like I said, not all Northerners are bad. Two-Bit, too - he's local and he's the best. But he ain't rich, of course."

Johnny smiled for a short second but didn't look at Ponyboy. "It's..." he started. "It ain't the Southern thing that bothers me the most. It's the things they said... before that..."

Johnny hated that they had seen his back. He was usually able to keep it hidden and it was also the reason he had not showered with the others back in elementary school. Now everyone in class would know, and he would also have to share a room with the guy that found out and made fun of it. And Ponyboy, the only person he trusted, didn't even live at the school, so at night he had no one to stick to.

Pony reckoned Johnny was talking about the stuttering and the scars on his back. He wondered how he had gotten those scars, because it certainly _did_ look like somebody had whipped him. But he didn't want to ask about it and make Johnny more uncomfortable. He figured he would tell him when he was ready.

"You know what?" he said, getting an idea that might cheer Johnny up a bit. "D'ya wanna come with us to town tomorrow? We're allowed to leave the school this weekend. Soda asked me to come with him and Steve. And maybe Two-Bit as well."

Johnny looked at him a little surprised. "You - you sure that's alright? You don't think they'll mind?"

Steve had not seemed to like him very much and Johnny got weird around Sodapop, but if he just kept his mouth shut whenever Soda was around it couldn't go that wrong, he thought. He would really like to get away from the school for a bit and Ponyboy was fun to spend time with.

"Sure! It'll be fun. They're always real fun to be around. And I won't have to feel so much like a tag-along when you're there too. Steve thinks it's annoying when I go with them. Even though it's Soda who brings me."

* * *

**A/N: Remember to check out the illustration for the chapter (link on my profile).**


	5. It's a bad Idea to Stare

**A/N: To those reviewing as guests (So we cant thank by PM): Thank you so much for your sweet and flattering comments :)**

* * *

**Chapter 5 – "****It's a bad Idea to Stare at Someone else's Boyfriend"**

Johnny met up with Ponyboy in front of the main building the next day. It was fun to see Pony in normal clothes. It showed his character, what kind of person he was; and from the looks of his hoodie, jeans and tennis shoes, it was clear that he was the sporty type. Pony grinned and waved when he spotted him and it made him smile. He was glad he had met Pony. That was at least _one_ positive thing about this place.

Sodapop and Steve joined them a few minutes later. "Oh, no," groaned Pony when he saw that Evie had brought Sandy. He hated that girl - she was so annoying and wouldn't leave his brother alone. Pony would bet she had invited herself, using Evie as an excuse.

"Hey, kids," Steve said, not sounding too happy. He had begged Evie not to bring Sandy, mostly for Soda's sake, but Evie had said something about Sandy being all alone in the weekend and she couldn't just leave her.

"Oh – you brought your little brother?" Sandy said with a fake smile. "How cute." Then she shot Johnny a cold look.

It was not a big town, so there wasn't a whole lot to do. They walked around for a bit, looking at the shops, had an early dinner at a hot dog stand, and finally went to a bar to shoot some pool and get some drinks.

"I think I'm gonna get wasted," said Steve and dropped into a seat, pulling Evie down on his lap. "Kids - if you go get some drinks, I'm buyin'" he said and flipped Ponyboy a 20 dollar bill.

Sandy sat down next to Sodapop and let her hand slide up his leg. "You sure have strong legs…"

"That girl's really into Soda, huh?" Johnny said to Ponyboy as they walked to the bar.

"Into him? She's _obsessed _with him! She's like a leach or something. I wish she would just leave him alone. Of course Soda's used to girls throwing themselves at him all the time, but Sandy's worse than the others."

There was a line at the bar, so it would take a while for them to get the drinks. Of course, Steve had sent them up there to get rid of them for a few minutes, because if he wanted booze he would have to get up there himself. He was the only one of them who could pass for twenty-one. And the only one with a fake ID.

When it was finally their turn, they bought six cokes and went back to the others.

"Hmm..." Steve said as he took the Coke. "I guess I gotta go somewhere else to get wasted. Not like I can get it on cola..."

He sent Ponyboy a look. Damn, he was so tired of always having to hang out with Ponyboy. Whenever they could go and have a boys' night out, Soda had to bring his little brother. At least Pony had brought a friend this time.

"Your fake ID and maybe a couple of extra bucks should do the trick," said Sodapop. "That guy up there serves students all the time."

Steve went up to the bar and, as Sodapop had predicted, he came back with a beer for himself and a rum and coke for the girls.

"Ooh, something to drink," Sandy beamed and took the drink. It didn't take her long to empty the glass, and then she swung both her arms around Soda's neck and before he knew what was going on, she was sitting on his lap.

"How long are we gonna stay here, Baby? You sure you don't just want to go back now? My roommates are busy tonight."

She was, of course, talking about Evie, who would most likely spend the night with Steve; and Silvia, her other roommate, was probably out hunting for boys, if she hadn't already hooked up with her rebound guy, Dallas Winston.

Johnny crept a bit closer to Pony. He always got uncomfortable around girls and he found this particular girl very intimidating. He still wondered if they were actually a couple. The way Pony talked about her, made him confused. He sounded like she was stalking Soda, but Johnny was pretty sure they were going out. Why else would Sodapop allow her to crawl around on him like this?

"Sandy..." said Soda and pushed her off his lap. "Cool it, will ya?" He really needed a break from her, so he stood up and said, "Come on, Steve - let's shoot some pool."

Steve gave Evie a kiss and followed Soda to a free pool table. This left Johnny and Pony alone with the girls.

Sandy set her eyes on Ponyboy. "So – _My Little Pony_ –" She laughed, obviously thinking she was pretty funny. "Don't have yourself a little girlfriend yet? Or is that too soon?"

Pony could feel his ears getting red. She was really getting to him.

"He's not a little kid, Sandy," said Evie. "Don't talk to him like that."

"Well, have you?" Sandy pressed, ignoring Evie.

"No," said Ponyboy. "I'll get a girlfriend when I find someone I like." He wished he could think of a better comeback, but that was the best he could come up with right now.

"What about you, Johnny?" asked Evie. She didn't sound patronizing the way Sandy had. "Got your eyes set on someone up here yet?"

Johnny felt his face go red. "Um... N-no... I haven't really looked around..."

Automatically he turned his gaze to Sodapop and couldn't help but smile a little, seeing him laugh at something Steve said.

Sandy, who had noticed how Johnny looked at Sodapop, seized the opportunity to get him on her own a little later when Ponyboy left to use the restroom.

"Hey, Evie – won't you go get us a new drink? I'll get the next one."

As soon as Evie left for the bar, Sandy turned to Johnny, her eyes piercing him. "You know – It's a bad idea to stare at someone else's boyfriend..."

Johnny looked at her in surprise. "W-what do you mean?"

"I see how you're gawking at Sodapop. You better back off!"

Johnny moved a little away from her, still with a startled look on his face. "I-I ain't gay. I j-just... I just enjoy happy people. He... he laughs a lot and it makes me s-smile… that's all…"

"Well… let's hope for your sake that's true, you little brat. Soda is mine," she said and grabbed a good hold of his arm. "Got it?"

Johnny quickly nodded and she let go.

"Well," said Sandy when Evie and Ponyboy had both returned. "I think I'll go check on the boys. See who's winning." She got up and bounced over towards the pool tables.

_Poor Soda_, thought Pony. That wasn't much of a break he had gotten.

"My, my - _two_ gentlemen all to yourself, Evie. How'd you get so lucky?" said a voice.

They all looked up and Ponyboy's face cracked into a grin. "Two-Bit!"

"Hey, Pony," Two-Bit grinned and dropped down beside him. "Mind if I crash the party?" he laughed and looked over at Evie. "Where's your boytoy?"

Evie smiled and pointed at the pool table.

Two-Bit raised an eyebrow, seeing the two boys over there and the girl hanging on Sodapop. "She's still trying to get on the soda wagon?"

"The... the soda wagon?" Johnny asked a little shyly.

"The _Soda_ wagon. That chick's been trying to get into Soda's pants for ages. Poor kid. No offence, Evie."

Evie just shrugged.

"So... who's your boyfriend, Pony?" Two-bit said and jabbed him with an elbow. "I've seen you around, kid. You're the trouble maker that had the run-in with the mighty Dallas Winston."

"I… I ain't no troublemaker," Johnny quickly said.

"He's joking, Johnny," said Ponyboy. "Two-Bit's always joking. You can't take a single thing he says seriously."

Sandy and the boys came back. Soda was starting to look worn out. Ponyboy hoped he would finally get enough and tell Sandy off. And why couldn't she set her mind on Two-Bit instead? He certainly wouldn't say no to an invitation to her room. He loved blondes and Sandy was a great looking girl - she was very popular among the boys at school and used to getting any boy she wanted. That was probably one of the reasons she wanted Soda so badly and couldn't get into her head that he wasn't interested.

Sodapop smiled when seeing that Two-Bit had joined them. "Hey, Two-Bit! Mrs. Harris let you off early for good behavior?"

"Yeah – I'm an angel," he laughed. "Hey, Sandy – why don't you ditch the soft drink and settle with something stronger?"

"Um…" she looked a bit confused. "I wouldn't mind a strong drink..." she said, clearly not catching Two-Bit's pun. "Wanna get me one, Soda Baby?"

"No," said Soda matter-of-factly. "But I'm sure Two-Bit will. He looks like an old man - they won't even ask for an ID."

Two-Bit smacked Soda upside the head and headed for the bar.

Soda had noticed how quiet Johnny was and thought that maybe he didn't feel quite welcome, so he decided to talk to him a little.

"So, Johnny, tell us a bit about yourself," he said, smiling warmly at Johnny. "All I know is that you're from Georgia and you're a pretty cool guy - otherwise Pony wouldn't like ya so much."

Johnny gulped. Soda thought he was a cool guy?

"Um... I live at home… or - I _lived_ at home… 'cause now I live at the school... But you know that..." Johnny felt more and more awkward, but Soda kept looking at him, expecting to hear more. "My dad's a housewife - I mean, my mom is an office - a... a housewife! And my dad works in an office..."

Sandy laughed loudly at Johnny's slip-ups but went quiet when no one else seemed to find it funny.

"So how come you came to the school so late?" Evie asked as she leaned back against Steve.

To his relief Johnny didn't get a chance to answer, because Two-Bit came back from the bar, just then, with his arms full of drinks.

"Okaaaay - beer for all!" he announced and handed everybody, except Ponyboy, a beer. He knew Darry would rip his head off if he tried to give his baby brother alcohol.

"N-no thanks," mumbled Johnny when Two-Bit tried to hand him a bottle.

"What? You don't drink?" Sandy giggled, like she thought Johnny was a baby.

"Thanks, Two-Bit, but I don't drink either. I don't need it to feel cool," said Soda, winking at Johnny.

Sandy looked like she had just bit into a slice of lemon.

Johnny sent Sodapop a grateful smile and then averted his eyes, feeling his cheeks starting to burn red.

Sodapop smiled back. There was something cute about how the new boy blushed and how shy he was. Soda understood why he was a natural target for bullies. Sensitive and innocent. He hoped they didn't succeed in hardening or breaking him. Hopefully a nice girl would fall for him so he could get some self-confidence. He was cute enough. There had to be girls who felt the appeal.

"What was your name again?" Two-Bit asked.

"Johnny Cade."

"Johnnycake? That's a weird name."

"No - no it's _Cade_!"

"So we got... A pony, a soda, and a cake. Awesome!" Two-Bit laughed.

Sodapop felt Sandy lay her head on his shoulder and snuggle into him. "Soda, Honey," she purred.

"Hey, Two-Bit - could you look after Sandy while I visit the boys' room?" asked Sodapop. "I ain't sure she can hold herself up."

Two-Bit immediately swooped in to take Sodapop's place. "Hey, girly. You know my offer still stands. Unless you wanna try the cute geek guy over there instead," he grinned and pointed at Johnny.

Sandy shook her head. She hated that little brat and was so frustrated at how Sodapop was paying attention to him while ignoring her. And with the rumor going around about Soda being bi-sexual, she was afraid that Johnny might actually be able to steal him from under her nose. Then an idea hit her: Maybe all Sodapop needed was a wake-up call. Let him know what he was missing. Getting a guy on the hook by making him jealous was the oldest trick in the book…

"Hm... Yeah - maybe I _could_ use a big boy like you," she giggled and leaned up against Two-Bit.

Two-Bit was so surprised it took him a few seconds to realize what Sandy was saying. But when he did, he didn't waste any time. He jumped up and grabbed her hand. "Let's go, then!"

Johnny watched them hurry off, his jaw dropped. Wasn't Two-Bit, Soda's friend? How could he just run off with his girlfriend?

Sodapop came back and noticed Two-Bit and Sandy had gone. God, had he really been that lucky?

"Where's everybody?"

"Two-Bit took off with Sandy, so you're a free man for the rest of the night," Steve said and took a sip of his beer. Then he turned to Evie. "Hey, Babe – be a doll and go buy some peanuts or something," he said and handed her a five dollars. Then he handed Pony a few bucks as well. "Go play some pool, will you?"

Ponyboy grudgingly took the money, well aware that Steve was just paying to get rid of him for a minute, and asked Johnny to join him.

When they left, Steve leaned towards Sodapop and eyed him seriously.

"Why don't you tell the damn girl off, already?"

"I _have_. A million times! But I don't wanna get nasty. She'll get it eventually, I guess."

"How long has she been after you? Half a year? More? And she still doesn't get it." Steve leaned back. "Man can't you just hook up with someone? Make her get the point."

"I ain't gonna exploit someone else just to get a point across," sighed Soda. "God, I hope Two-Bit gives her a good pounding through so she can forget about me..."

**o0o0o**

They got back a bit after curfew, and Sodapop and Ponyboy said goodbye to Johnny at the main entrance.

"Bye, Johnnycake," smiled Soda, using Two-Bit's idea. "Nice to spend some time with ya."

Johnny stood at the door for a few minutes, watching the brothers leave for their apartment.

_Johnnycake..._

It had kind of a ring to it. Okay, it wasn't exactly a _cool_ name, but it was okay for Soda to call him that. He made it sound good. Johnny shook his head, trying to get real.

_Don't get any ideas. He's taken, and he ain't gay, either. And even if he was, why would he be interested in you? He's way outta your league…_

"Who's there?" A rusty voice sounded as the door closed behind him. Johnny almost jumped out of his skin and then noticed it was just the janitor, Buck Merrill.

"It's j-just… It's just me. A student. I'm just back from being out with some f-friends. "

"I don't care where you been. You better get to your dorm before I write a note about you!"

Johnny went past him and hurried off to the living quarters. There were quite a few students home. The common room was full, and laughter and music sounded from the dorms. Johnny walked quickly past students hanging in the corridor and open doors, his head bent, hoping to avoid catching anyone's attention, and was happy when he reached his dorm.

_Finally..._

He locked the door behind him and was relieved to remember that his roommates were gone for the weekend.

* * *

**A/N: Remember to check out the illustration for the chapter (link on my profile).**


	6. Keep Your Eyes on the Ball

**Chapter 6 – "Keep Your Eyes on the Ball"**

Ponyboy went down to the living quarters the next day after lunch. He asked someone where the new boy lived and found Johnny's dorm. Johnny opened the door a little warily but smiled when he saw it was Pony.

"Hey Johnny! Wanna come eat at our place tonight? Darry says you're welcome. We can hang out until then, if you want."

"I'd love to," smiled Johnny. He grabbed his jacket and locked the door. "So… what ya wanna do?" He hadn't been around the school much on his own so he didn't know what there was to do. "Pony?" he suddenly asked before Pony had a chance to answer his previous question. "Do… do you think you could teach me to hit a baseball? I don't wanna keep messing up and stuff…"

"Yeah!" said Pony. "I'd love to! But we'll have to swing by our apartment first to get Darry's keys to where they keep the equipment."

Johnny waited at the bottom of the stairs while Ponyboy went in to get the keys.

**o0o0o**

Darry was relaxing on the couch when Ponyboy came in.

"Hey, Darry. Can I borrow the Keys for PE? I wanna teach Johnny to hit a baseball."

Darry raised an eyebrow at him. "Maybe you two should practice football instead, like I told you. Try-outs are coming up."

There had been a try-out at the start of the school year but since one player had moved school and another expelled, Darry had been forced to make a new one. He really wanted Pony to try out for the team.

Ponyboy just sighed, grabbed the keys, and went out the door.

**o0o0o**

"Was he okay with you borrowing the keys?" Johnny asked but then noticed the expression on Ponyboy's face. "Is… is something wrong?"

"It's fine. He was just goin' on about the football thing again. Wants me to try out for the team. And I ain't gonna do that. I like playing football but track is what I'm real passionate about. He just don't get it."

Pony pushed the thoughts away and went in to find the equipment they needed. He came back out with a bat, a helmet, a glove, and a home plate. He handed Johnny the bat and put the helmet on. He told him where to stand in proportion to the plate and how to hold the bat.

"Spread your legs, toes pointing straight ahead, and flex you knees a bit. Now raise your arms with the bat and bend your elbows. No, no - not that far back. The ball's gonna come in front of ya - not behind ya!"

"Okay," said Johnny and tried his best to do what Ponyboy said.

"Don't hunch your back. Better to stick out your ass a bit. Like a duck," Pony grinned and wiggled his own bottom.

Pony left Johnny in the correct stance and picked up the glove and ball. "Don't look so nervous. I'm gonna pitch an easy ball. Okay, keep your eyes on the ball, and when you think it's close enough, you swing."

Ponyboy pitched a slow ball, and Johnny swung the bat, but missed.

"It's okay!" Pony said. "Let's try again. Now keep your eye on the ball. Don't close your eyes when you swing."

Johnny focused on the ball and took a deep breath. When Pony threw it, Johnny swung again. And hit it.

"Yay!" cried Pony, feeling all proud when Johnny's face split open in a big grin.

"I hit it!" Johnny yelled and made a small jump of happiness. "Wow, you're a real good teacher," he said as he walked up to Ponyboy. "Did... did your dad teach ya to play?"

_"Hold on real good, Pony," sounded a caring voice. Big, gentle hands closed around his, showing him just how to hold. "Now, swing back a bit, like that," said the man standing behind him and moved his arms with the bat backwards in the right angle._

_The man looked up at the other boy who was walking around the lawn throwing a ball high into the air and catching it with his glove. "Pay attention here, Pepsi Cola. Now, pitch for your brother."_

_The golden-haired boy grinned and took the stance, getting ready to pitch. The man took a few steps back to give Ponyboy room to swing. Sodapop looked very concentrated and then threw._

_The ball went right past Ponyboy and hit Mr. Curtis' forehead. _

_"Soda!" he scolded. "Don't DO somethin' like that! I could have been injured!"_

_"I'm sorry, Dad," said Sodapop, but the grin on his face was proof enough that it had been no accident at all._

_"Go get your big brother so he can pitch instead," said Mr. Curtis, trying to sound strict. "I ain't putting my life on the line with you again." _

_Sodapop came back with Darry a few minutes later, and Darry, taking the task very seriously, did a perfect pitch for Pony. Pony swung and hit the ball in first attempt. _

_"That's my son," grinned Mr. Curtis proudly, picked Ponyboy up, and lifted him towards the sky, swinging him around._

Ponyboy shook his head, pushing the memory away. It was still painful thinking about his parents.

"Yeah, he did. He taught me a lot of stuff. We used to play sports all the time, the four of us. Sometimes Mom would even join in... Well - get back in position. We need to practise some more if you're gonna make the Olympic team."

"Yeah, he did," said Pony. "He taught me a lot of stuff. We used to play sports all the time, the four of us. Sometimes Mom would even join in... Well - get back in position. We need to practise some more if you're gonna make the Olympic team."

They played for about two hours, practising throwing and catching as well as batting.

Johnny wiped his forehead with his sleeve. "I guess I better get back to my dorm for a shower before we go anywhere else," he said with a small smile. "Thanks, Pony. For wanting to help me out." Maybe next time in PE I won't make such a fool of myself."

"No problem," said Ponyboy. "It was fun! You should play with me and the guys one of the days. We play most weekends. Mostly football, though. But you can learn that as well. They won't laugh at ya. And Darry's a real good teacher."

Johnny tried to imagine himself playing football, but it was difficult. He had always pictured football players as big and strong guys and he was neither. But it still sounded like fun if it was with Pony and his friends.

"Sure," he said as they started to walk back. "That could be fun."

As they got back to the main building, they spotted Mrs. Harris unloading her car.

"Hello, Mrs. Harris," Ponyboy greeted her.

"Hello there, Sugar Pie," she grinned. "I was just needing two strong young men to help me with these." She nodded at the boxes of food in the car.

Johnny and Ponyboy helped her carry the boxes to the kitchen. "I thought," Johnny started. "I thought that delivery would take care of this?"

"They usually do, Sweetie," she said. "But of course they forgot the most important stuff I needed, so I had to go yell at the principal and make the cheap bastard give me some money so I could go get it myself." She laughed and went to the freezer, coming back with two ice-cream cones.

**o0o0o**

Johnny knocked on the door seven O'clock sharp.

Ponyboy bounced out to open. "Hey," he grinned. "Um...I have to warn ya."

"Warn me?" asked Johnny, looking dumbfounded.

"It's Soda's turn to cook today. If I'd remembered that, I would've picked another day to invite you."

"I heard that!" came Sodapop's voice from the kitchen.

"Last chance to escape," said Pony, holding the door open for Johnny.

Johnny tilted his head. How bad could it be? His mother wasn't a great cook so Johnny had done most of the cooking at home. But he hadn't learned until he was about 12 years old because she had not let him near the stove. Mostly because she was afraid he might burn the house down.

"I'll take my chances," he smiled.

"Hello, Johnny," Darry said and got up from his seat.

"Hello, Mr. Curtis," Johnny said.

The guy was big. He had warn a loose sweat suit when Johnny had seen him in class so he had not looked as muscular as he did now, wearing a tight T-shirt and jeans.

"Just call me Darry. I feel old when you call me Mr. Curtis."

"Sorry," Johnny said quickly, not wanting to upset Darry. He sure as hell didn't want to be on that guy's bad side.

Johnny sat down next to Ponyoy on the couch, listening to him telling Darry about their baseball practise.

"You shoulda seen Johnny, Darry. How fast he started picking it up. He didn't do well in class the other day 'cause he never played before. But he's getting a hang of it now, ain't ya, Johnny?"

Johnny nodded quickly. "Y-yeah… um... Pony is real... a good teacher."

Darry leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, we're all sportsmen in this family. Always been. We use to play a lot of different sports and yet we don't seem to stick to the same one. Soda is into horses, Pony likes to run, for God knows what reason, and I love football." He then looked over at Johnny. "Is there any sports you're good at?"

Johnny shook his head. "No. I… I… well. I have... I…" he took a deep breath and as Darry sent him a rather concerned look, he got even more nervous. "I tried, but… I just ain't no good at sports, sir."

"Hmm... No such thing as not being good at _any_ sport. There probably is something you're good at. You just need to find out."

Darry studied Johnny and couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with him. He seemed very nervous all the time. Sure, Pony had said that the kid got picked on a lot, and Darry had also noticed the way some of the students talked to him in PE the other day.

"So… Pony says you're from Georgia?"

Johnny nodded. "Yessir. Atlanta."

"What about the visitors' day next week? Will your folks come? Would be nice to meet a few Southerners again."

Johnny didn't answer for a few seconds. "I think… they'll be busy, sir."

Yeah, his parents would be busy. No matter what day it was, there was no way they would want to come.

Ponyboy looked at Johnny. Johnny got very uncomfortable every time they asked him about home or his parents. It wasn't just because Darry was making him nervous. Something definitely wasn't right. He decided to ask about it later when they were alone.

* * *

**A/N: Remember to check out the illustration for the chapter (link on my profile).**


	7. You Keep Surprising Me with Your Cooking

**Chapter 7 – ****"You Keep Surprising Me with Your Cooking, Soda…"**

"Come on, Johnny; let's go see if Soda needs a hand. We can set the table or something," Ponyboy said and got up. "Soda, can we -" he started, but before he could finish, the door was slammed in his face.

"Ya can't come in yet!" Sodapop yelled from the other side of the door. "It'll spoil the surprise!"

_Oh dear. Not another one of Soda's surprises..._

So they went back to sit down on the couch until Sodapop came out and announced that dinner was ready.

"Hi, Johnnycake," smiled Soda. "Sorry I didn't say hi before. I was busy."

They all sat down and watched as Soda placed a large frying pan on the middle of the table. All three stared at the content. It sort of looked like a hedgehog with weirdly shaped spines. The "hedgehog's" body was a yellowish mass that could _possibly_ be omelette, and possibly something else. The strangest part was the things sticking out of the mass. They were noodles, Ponyboy realized. Spiral shaped noodles. They looked dry and burned at the end.

"What... is that?" asked Darry.

"It's a pasta omelette!" exclaimed Sodapop excitedly. "Ain't it a great idea?"

Johnny looked at the food, his eyebrows raised. Okay, maybe it just looked weird but tasted great…

"It looks... interesting..." he decided to say and Soda beamed even brighter.

"Okay dig in!"

Darry, who apparently wanted to show he wasn't afraid of anything, decided to start. Both Johnny and Ponyboy watched him closely as he took the first bite. You could see that the taste surprised him; Pony couldn't determine if it was in a good or bad surprise.

"You keep surprising me with your cooking, Soda…"

Pony and Johnny accepted a serving as well and Johnny started eating. Nope. It definitely didn't taste any better than it looked, but he kept a straight face.

"It... it's very stra… I mean - different... Soda."

"The pasta is raw," pointed out Ponyboy. He was actually a little embarrassed on Soda's behalf, and that happened rarely.

Sodapop overheard Pony's comment and happily started explaining to Johnny how he had and how he had made the omelette, as if Johnny would want to remember, so he could try to make the dish on his own one day.

**o0o0o**

After dinner, they decided on playing a game. Johnny said he didn't know poker, so Ponyboy went into his room and dug out his old Monopoly game. They had played it all the time when their parents were alive but not since they died. _Well,_ thought Pony. They might as well start playing again.

Johnny looked relieved when Pony came back, after having left him alone with Sodapop chatting away about all sorts of things. Johnny was always extremely nervous around Soda, Ponyboy had noticed. Not the kind of nervous he was around the teachers, Socs, or girls. Or anyone else for that matter. It was a different kind of nervous, just reserved for Sodapop.

Ponyboy put the game on the coffee table and Johnny looked at it. It was a rather old game of Monopoly. He knew the game well because he and his uncle used to play it whenever he was visiting. Johnny was put in charge of the bank, and when he had handed everybody their money, they were ready to start.

Sodapop started out with landing on chance and being sent to jail.

_Typical Soda,_ thought Pony. Pony was usually the lucky one when they played. Darry wasn't lucky, but he usually did ok because he played smartly and knew how to handle his finances.

"It ain't fair," moped Sodapop. "I didn't do nuffin'. Now I have to sit here at least a whole round."

"You'll survive," hummed Darry.

"Gee, I don't know," sighed Soda dramatically. "I might die from boredom before I get out."

"Just pay the fine, will ya? Pay Johnny and you're out again."

Johnny looked over at Soda, who sent him puppy dog eyes.

"I… I'm broke!" Johnny said flustered without thinking that of course he wasn't supposed to pay for Soda. "I mean... it's..." he looked through the rulebook since he had forgotten what the fine was. "50 dollars and you're free, but you gotta wait till I make a pass at you – I mean _pass_ you! T-taken my turn! T-thrown the dice!"

Johnny felt his face go beet-red with embarrassment and quickly rolled the dice. He landed on "Go to jail" as well.

"That's mighty nice of ya, Johnny," grinned Sodapop. "Comin' in here to keep me company. I think you're a true Southern gentleman."

Johnny blushed even more and dropped his head, hiding his face behind his bangs.

_Don't say anything stupid. Don't say anything stupid!_

"Yeah, well it's much more fun being two instead of being stuck all alone in a small room."

Johnny could have slapped himself for that remark. That was just about the stupidest thing he could have said.

Ponyboy noticed Darry sending Johnny a funny look, but Soda didn't seem to think that Johnny was acting strangely.

"Right you are!" he grinned. "Pony, don't it say somewhere in the rules that ya can get a discount when there's two of us?

"No it doesn't," said Ponyboy. "You both pay the same."

"I'm sure I read that rule somewhere..."

"No, ya didn't!" said Pony. Then he turned to Johnny. "He always makes up rules."

"And when he doesn't," Darry continued, "he's cheating."

"I don't cheat!" cried Soda, looking like they had accused him of the most outrageous thing. "Don't you believe a word they say, Johnnycake."

"Must be why you're in jail, then, if ya cheat," Johnny chuckled but stopped as fast as he had started.

A good hour later, Darry owned six streets and two railroads. Pony owned one blue street and all the red. Johnny had been lucky and gotten all three yellow streets, one orange, and a light-green. Sodapop had bought the electric company and the purple streets, on which he was building houses.

"Why did you buy the cheap streets, Soda?" Darry asked. "You won't make a lot of money on them."

Soda shrugged. "They were cheap and I landed on 'em. Plus I get to live next door to Johnny," he grinned.

Johnny almost chocked on his Coke and his hand flew to his mouth so he didn't splatter cola all over the table.

"Are you okay, kid?" Darry asked and looked at Johnny.

"Ye… ye…" Johnny spluttered. "I just g-got soda stuck in my throat. I mean – _Coke_!" Johnny stopped himself before he could embarrass himself even further. "Excuse me," he said and coughed as he stood up and went to the bathroom.

A little later, when Darry and Ponyboy were busy negotiating about some of their streets, Soda leaned toward Johnny, placing a gentle hand on his knee. "You sure you're okay?" he asked with concern in his eyes. "You seem a little nervous."

Johnny turned his head and his face was really close to Sodapop's. His eyes widened and the breath got stuck in his throat for a moment.

"Ye... ye... I- I'm f-fine," he stuttered, his heart beating so rapidly he was worried Soda might hear it. He quickly turned his head away and raised the glass to his lips with a shaking hand.

_Relax. Relax. Oh, God - his hand is on my knee!_

There was no doubt the boy was uncomfortable. Sodapop wished he knew why. Maybe it had something to do with how badly some of the other students were treating him. And Johnny didn't seem like someone who had a whole lot of self-confidence.

Soda leaned even closer so that Ponyboy and Darry wouldn't overhear them. "You don't need to be nervous around us, ya know. We won't judge ya or anythin' like that. We really like you." He gave Johnny a soft smile, hoping to make him feel more welcome.

Johnny turned his head a bit to look at Soda again and he bit his lip nervously. "T-thanks. I really like you too." Johnny paused as he looked into Soda's eyes and almost got lost in them. "I mean…you guys..."

"Good," said Soda, smiling widely. He gave Johnny's knee a little squeeze before letting it go. Then he flopped back on the couch and slung his feet up on the table, making the whole board jump and the pieces scatter.

"SODA!" yelled Darry.

"Ooops," said Soda.

"You did that on purpose," accused Ponyboy. "Because you're losing!"

"I ain't losing. But it _is _getting a bit boring, ain't it? "

"Well, I guess the game is over since apparently there has been an earthquake in our city," Darry said and got up. "Soda, you go do the dishes and Pony and Johnny can clean up the game. And I guess I'll help you with the dishes," he then said as he saw the sad look on Soda's face.

**o0o0o**

"This is so typical Soda," said Ponyboy, putting the deeds in order. "Doesn't have patience to finish a game lasting longer than an hour. But ya can't get mad at him for real, ya know?"

Johnny smiled a little as soon as Pony mentioned Soda. "Yeah, I find it hard to believe anyone could be mad at him…"

"You know, he can make anyone laugh and get away with everything. People can't resist his charm. Especially girls. He can't go anywhere without being hit on constantly. But you can't blame them, though, can you? He's a real good guy and he's so handsome. I never seen anyone as handsome as him. Have you?"

"Nooo..." Johnny said, still with a smile on his lip, and he suddenly realised that he must have sounded like a smitten school girl. "I mean… Nah... I wouldn't have noticed that much… He is handsome... For a guy. And… If I was a girl... I'd probably think he was real good looking and cute… If I was a girl… of course." Johnny felt like face palming himself. Why couldn't he just relax?

"It must be real annoying, though, like I said, with girls throwing themselves at him all the time. And some of them won't take no for an answer and leave him alone. And still he's nice to them, 'cause that's just who he is. He's nice to everybody - unless he has a real good reason not to. Sometimes I wish he wouldn't put up with so much, though. Like that horrible girl, Sandy. She's pestering him _all_ the time! Well - you've seen her..."

Johnny looked at Ponyboy, rather surprised. "But... isn't she his girlfriend?"

"No way! She ain't his type at all! He'd never hook up with a self-absorbed bimbo like her. He went on _one _date with her because Evie asked him to, and now she thinks they're practically married."

Johnny couldn't help but feel relieved, but he tried not to show it. "O... oh... um - I just assumed they were together since she's all over him."

Soda and Darry came back into the living room when they were done with the dishes.

"Well, Johnny, it's been nice having you visit," said Darry. "You're welcome again, anytime. But we better call it a night. School tomorrow."

"Hey, Johnny," said Sodapop as Johnny was putting on his jacket. "Do ya like horses?"

"Um... sure… I guess?" He had seen horses many times back home and had even had the chance to pet a few of them. "W-why?"

"Well, maybe that's the sport for you! Come down to the stables and I'll take you for a ride."

**o0o0o**

Johnny walked across the yard up to the main building, his face still burning red from Soda's comment.

_Take him for a ride..._

"Who am I kidding?" he asked himself. "No way a guy like him would fall for me. Even if he was gay."

**o0o0o**

"Soda?" said Pony. They had both gone to bed and the lights were out.

"Mmm?"

"Why do you put up with Sandy hanging on you like that?"

Sodapop sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

"Tell her to back off!"

"I did. Many times."

"But she doesn't get it. How come you don't just get firm with her? I think that's the only language she understands..."

Sodapop was quiet for a second. "I know, Pony. But why should I upset her? She ain't doing no harm."

Ponyboy begged to differ but he didn't know what more to say. He lay there quietly for five or ten minutes.

"She made fun of Johnny in math class the other day..." he said quietly, not sure if his brother had fallen asleep.

"She did?" said Soda and raised his head from the pillow. "What'd she say?"

"She... she answered a question Johnny couldn't."

"How's that making fun of him?"

"It was the way she did it. And she giggled," said Pony, feeling a bit stupid he couldn't come up with a better explanation.

"Girls giggle all the time. I'm sure she didn't mean nothin' by it."

"She did..." mumbled Pony. But he didn't say any more. It wasn't his business what Soda did about Sandy anyway.

**o0o0o**

_"You like this...?" Soda kissed Johnny's ear and nibbled the lobe as a hand ran down Johnny's chest and the other one snaked around his waist. _

Johnny had slid down the bathroom tiles onto the floor in the shower of his dorm, letting the hot water pour down on him, his hand moving slowly, stroking himself, as the images went through his mind.

_"You like it when I do this?" Soda's hand moved down Johnny's stomach and, reaching his member, took a gentle hold around it and sank to his knees in front of him. _

"Oh, God... yes..."

The thought of Sodapop close to him, touching him, made his entire body shake and he picked up the pace of his hand as his thoughts wandered further, imagining what dirty things Soda could be doing to him; what they _could_ be doing, had Soda been interested in him and Johnny brave enough to ask.

Rushing toward release, he shoved his feet against the opposite wall, tilted his head back, and let out a muffled moan as he let go of himself.

Getting control of his breathing, he wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his head on his knees, water streaming down his long bangs.

_What am I doing?_

Johnny had known for years that he was gay, and sure he had seen guys he thought were hot, but he had never seen anyone that made him feel the way Sodapop did. He had never before fantasized about someone he knew, either. That was just too weird and he felt bad about what he had just done. Would he even be able to look at Sodapop now, without remembered the fantasy he had just had?

* * *

**A/N: Remember to check out the illustration for the chapter (link on my profile).**


	8. White Trash Kicking Trash

**Chapter 8 – "****White Trash Kicking Trash"**

"No talking until I've gathered all the tests," said Mr. Lamarck.

They had just taken a test in class and Ponyboy was a little worried about how Johnny had managed. It hadn't been a very difficult test but Pony wasn't sure just how bad at math Johnny was.

The teacher stopped when he reached Pony and Johnny's table. He looked at both of them as if they smelled bad.

"You two have found each other, I see," he said in a slick voice.

"Yeah, it's the hillbilly club," laughed someone.

A slight, malicious smile pulled at the corner of Mr. Lamarck's lips. He picked up Johnny's test paper and let his eyes run down it. "Wrong... wrong... wrong..." Then he looked at Johnny. "Doesn't look too good, I must say."

Johnny looked up at the teacher. "A-are you sure? I studied real hard…"

"Are you saying I don't know my job, Mr. Cade?"

"N-No. I-I just..."

"Apparently he thinks you're a bad teacher, Mr. Lamarck," Sandy said. "I heard him talk about it earlier. He thinks your way of teaching is stupid and that's why he isn't learning anything."

"That ain't true!" Johnny exclaimed and turned to look at Sandy.

"_Really_…" drawled the math teacher, crossing his arms.

"You're lying! You... COW!" Ponyboy burst out. He usually never talked to girls like that but Sandy was really getting on his nerves.

"Curtis! I won't have that language in my classroom! You and Cade can spend the evening in detention."

Ponyboy clenched his teeth. He had track practise after school, but saying that would just make Mr. Lamarck enjoy it even more. He tossed his backpack over his shoulder and marched out as soon as the bell rang.

**o0o0o**

Johnny followed Ponyboy, who was walking briskly down the hall. "Pony, I'm sorry," he said as he caught up to him. Pony had tried to help him and now he had to pay for it. What would Darry say? If he were as strict as Pony said, Pony would be in big trouble.

"Don't apologize. She _is_ a cow and I don't regret telling her."

Ponyboy moodily kicked an empty soda can someone had tossed on the ground. It rolled a few yards and came to a stop at the feet of... Pony looked up and gulped when he saw to whom the feet belonged. It was Dallas Winston, who was standing around with a couple other tough looking guys. One of them - Tim Shepherd - had nearly as bad a reputation as Dallas.

"White trash kicking trash our way?" said Tim. He looked dangerous with his cold eyes and the scar down his cheek.

Dallas sent him a grin for his remark.

Johnny shot Ponyboy a nervous look. He had only run into Dallas once and he had been told it was mere luck that Dallas hadn't kicked his head in. Would he and Pony be so lucky this time?

"Careful, kids," grinned Dallas. "You better watch were you throw your stuff." He picked up the can and seemed to ponder over what to do with it.

"Sorry," said Ponyboy. "I didn't mean to kick it in your direction."

Dallas aimed and threw the can at Ponyboy. It hit his forehead with a clonk and bounced back.

"Sorry, kid - didn't mean to throw it in your direction," laughed Dallas.

"Nice throw, Dal," Tim laughed and high-fived him.

Johnny was getting tired of all the people constantly on their backs, so when he and Pony started to walk away, he blurted out in frustration, "Maybe that jerk should try out for the baseball team. Do something useful with his throwing talent."

"What did you say?" Dallas shouted.

To his horror, Johnny realize that they had heard him, and he and Ponyboy took off running. They could hear the others setting off after them, but they got a good head start and managed to get out of sight long enough to dive behind a tree, unseen.

After a minute of nothing happening, Johnny sighed in relief. "I guess they shouldn't try out for the baseball team, anyway... They can't run very fast."

Ponyboy laughed quietly and Johnny felt pleased with himself.

After a few more minutes Ponyboy said, "I think they've given up..."

A hand shot out from behind their tree and caught Pony by the collar. Dallas pulled him up and pushed him against the tree.

"You punks need a good ass-whooping!" said Dallas and pulled his arm back, getting ready to punch Ponyboy.

"Get your hands off my brother!" yelled an angry voice.

All turned to see Sodapop and Steve come running towards them.

"Who's gonna stop me, Curtis? Mr. Super Teacher, big brother?"

"No, _I_ am!" said Soda and punched Dally in the stomach.

Steve attacked Tim, and Pony said to Johnny, "Come on - we can take on the third one together!"

Johnny stood there, frozen, for a minute. He had never been in a fight before. Beaten up – yes, many times - but not been in an actual fight. But he couldn't just stand there and let Ponyboy fight the big guy, so he threw himself at him, trying his best to help Pony out.

Steve took a good hold of Tim and slammed him against the tree. "Attacking kids, huh? Afraid to take on someone your own size?"

"I'll kick your head in any time, Randle," Tim growled as he took a swing at Steve; but Steve, being the faster one, managed do dodge it and plant a fist in Tim's stomach.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" roared a familiar voice.

All boys turned their heads to spot Mrs. Harris and Two-Bit standing a few yards away.

Two-Bit put the box of groceries, he had been carrying, down, about to join in the fight, but Mrs. Harris sent him a glare that made him pick the box up again. "Aw, shoot... no fun."

Dallas wasn't about to let some stupid woman ruin a perfectly good fight. He _loved_ fights and Curtis' stupid happy-go-lucky face could do with a bit of rearranging, so Dallas didn't waste any time and used the diversion to land a solid punch in Sodapop's nose.

Two-Bit put the box down but Mrs. Harris grabbed him by the collar before he could do anything. "You do something, Keith, and you're going back to jail!"

Two-Bit looked moody but knew she was right. He couldn't just attack students.

Mrs. Harris went over and took a hold of Steve and Soda. "Johnny and Pony - you two get your asses over here!" she ordered. She knew the boys would be in big trouble if they were caught fighting.

"Gonna run crying to mama?" Tim laughed.

"Oh, you just hope I don't call _your_ mama, Shepard!" Mrs. Harris said and the smirk on Tim's face stiffened.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE?"

A couple of teachers came marching, looking very angry.

"What do you think this is - a combat zone for gang fights?"

Everyone had stopped fighting and a curious crowd had gathered to see what was going to happen now.

"This isn't the back streets of Tulsa," said one of the teachers, sending Sodapop and Ponyboy a dirty look. "So you better try to act like civilized people!"

Johnny bit his lip nervously. It seemed that Soda and Pony were going to be held responsible for the fight, however unfair.

"It… it wasn't their fault, sir," Johnny said. "Sodapop and S-Steve just tried to help me and Ponyboy… It's… it's my fault. I sorta said something stupid to Dallas..."

There was no way he would just let Soda and Pony take all the blame.

"I don't care WHY! Fighting is for brutes! _You_ -" said the teacher, pointing at Sodapop, who was holding his sleeve to his bleeding face, "- go down to the nurse and get that nose looked at, and then report to the principal's office."

Soda shook his head. "That ain't necessary. I don't think it's broken."

"Well, then come with us."

Ponyboy could hear Dally laughing behind them as they followed the teacher inside. He probably thought it was all just great entertainment. Pony didn't think it was funny at all. He knew they were in big trouble. They might not be kicked out, but Darry was going to _flip_. Even Soda wasn't going to be safe from his anger.

**o0o0o**

All seven students were sat down outside the principal's office and instructed to wait. Darry had had been called and went inside first. Ten minutes later, his brothers, Steve, and Johnny were called in as well.

"You all know the policy on fighting at this school," said the principle. "I'm very disappointed in you. You are all given a strict warning and your parents will be informed."

Johnny sank in his seat. "You… you're gonna call our parents?" he asked in a shaking voice.

The principal nodded. "I will not have fighting at my school. Mr. Randle, Mr. Cade - you can leave now."

"Don't worry," Steve said, as they left the office. "They're just gonna tell them we got into a fight and then our parents are gonna tell us to behave. Tried it a billion times. I'm more worried for Soda and Pony…."

Darry sent both his brothers a glare as the principal started talking.

"So... Sodapop and Ponyboy. We have been so generous to let you attend this splendid school for free, since your brother works here. But I do not want hoodlums at my school. That was not the deal, and I want you two to act like respectable young men and not street kids."

"Don't worry," Darry said. "It will _not_ happen again."

"I certainly hope not," the principal said and leaned back in his chair. "I trust you will see to it that they behave. And if any of the other students ask for compensation for damages on clothes, it will come out of your paycheck, Darrel."

Darry just sighed and nodded. "Of course, sir."

"You can leave now. I believe you and Mr. Cade have a detention this afternoon, Ponyboy? Be sure to be there."

**o0o0o**

Sodapop and Ponyboy followed Darry dawn the hallway, heading for their apartment, where they were no doubt going to get a major chewing out.

Darry didn't look at them or say anything. He just walked, fast and with his fists curled at his sides. The second the door closed behind them he turned around, his face red with anger.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?"

Sodapop was about to say something but Darry cut him off.

"Do you know just how much trouble we're in? Every damn time you two make a mess of things I gotta pay for that shit! And I don't mean the money, either. I can freaking lose my job!" Darry was indeed furious. It wasn't really that often his brothers got into trouble, but they didn't have the sort of immunity that many of the other students had, so they just couldn't afford to.

"Winston was about to beat Pony up! What did you want us to do? Did you want him to just take the punches and me to stand and watch?"

If Darry had not been so angry, he would probably have been able to understand.

"I don't want you to get into this kind of trouble AT all! And you got detention?" He turned to Pony. "Why?"

"I... I called Sandy Jackson a cow."

"What?" said Soda, looking at Ponyboy in surprise.

"Why the hell did you do that?" asked Darry's, his voice a mix of anger and surprise. It was very unlike Pony to act that way. Especially towards a girl.

"She was telling lies about Johnny! She told Mr. Lamarck that Johnny had said nasty things about him. Just to get him into trouble. And she did! That's why Johnny got detention."

"R-really?" said Soda. "She did that?"

"Yes, she did. She IS a cow!"

"I will not hear that language, Pony!" Darry said, pointing at him. "Even if she _is_... a cow." Darry looked like he wanted to say something else but stopped. "I got practice... And you, mister - You get your ass to detention. And Soda? You got class!"

**o0o0o**

"I've just about had it with you!" said the principal.

Dallas was sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the heavy oak desk. Actually, he was more lying than sitting and his legs were stretched to their full length.

"Really?" he said, studying his nails, looking bored.

"We have been giving you an exceptionally long leash, _only_ because your father is such a respectable man."

"Respectable, my ass. More like because he pays a shitload of money to this shithole," said Dally and swung his booted feet up on the desk.

"Get your feet down!" shouted the principal.

Dally put up a blank expression.

"NOW!"

"All right, all right, if it means that much to you..." laughed Dallas and moved his feet.

"There is a limit to our tolerance, and you've nearly reached it."

"I doubt it. And I don't care if you kick me out, anyway."

**o0o0o**

"So - he wanted to kick you out?" asked Tim, who had been waiting outside the principal's office.

"Man, they ain't gonna kick me out. Not with my old man bribing them so much to keep me locked up here," Dally said and lit a Kool right in front of the secretary.

"You mind putting that cigarette out, Mr. Winston?" she said.

Dally took a long drag and blew the smoke in her face before putting it out in her coffee. "There - it's out."

Tim laughed and swung his backpack over his shoulder. "Come on, man, let's go bother Buck."

* * *

**A/N: Remember to check out the illustration for the chapter (link on my profile).**


	9. Ready to Go for a Ride?

**Chapter 9 – "****Ready to Go for a Ride?"**

Johnny sat alone in his dorm, thinking. They were going to call his parents? Steve had said it was nothing; that his parents would just tell him to behave and that was it. But Johnny knew he could expect a lot worse from his parents. If he was lucky they would just Ignore it, but if they didn't… His mother and father had sent him here because they didn't want him at home, and if he they thought there was a risk of him being expelled, there was no telling what they would do.

_"It'll be good to get rid of him. Have the house to myself." _

_Johnny's mother sat at the dinner table, pouring herself another glass of Merlot. His father was still home but would leave soon for a "business meeting". Mrs. Cade knew, of course, that he had a mistress, but as long as he stayed married to her and her credit card accounts were open, she tolerated it. Johnny doubted she loved him at all. Maybe she never had._

_Johnny thought it was stupid of her to stay with him just for the money, because if they got a divorce, she could probably get half of everything, since he was cheating. But she had never bothered to look into this, and Johnny was not going to bring it up again. He had suggested once that she should leave his dad because he was cheating on her, and she had attacked him with a knife, leaving a rather large cut on his forearm.__"So when can he leave?" she asked and looked intently at her husband. _

_"Monday..." _

_Johnny sat at the end of the table, not touching his food, feeling like a piece of trash. How could they just throw him out like that?_

_"Why are you not eating?" his mom said and turned to him? "Did you poison the food? Is that why you're not eating?" She threw her food at him. "DID YOU?"_

Johnny's thoughts where interrupted by the sound of the door to the dorm being unlocked. His stomach tightened when Harry and Victor came in, but he relaxed when he saw that Tyler was with them. They were never their meanest when he was there. Johnny took out some homework and started to read.

"You gonna come to the party next weekend?" Tyler asked after a few minutes.

"P-party? What party?"

"The one in the dining hall. No booze allowed, of course, but there are always people smuggling it in, so that shouldn't be a problem."

Johnny looked over at Harry and Victor, who were lost in some website with undressed girls.

"Sure... It sounds like fun."

**o0o0o**

Sodapop lay on Steve's bed reading one of his many car magazines and chewing bubblegum loudly. Steve, who was still a bit grumpy, had asked him several times to keep it down - something Soda didn't have the slightest intention of doing.

The door opened and Evie and Sandy came in.

"Hi, baby," Evie said and went over to give her boyfriend a kiss.

Steve responded with a grumpy "Hello".

"Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, well... We got into a fight with Dallas Winston and his gang of badasses."

Evie looked at him a little surprised and he explained what had happened.

"Well - that Cade kid sure gets into a lot of trouble," Sandy said and sat down next to Soda.

Soda put down the magazine and sat up quickly. Lying down on a bed was dangerous with Sandy around. She would probably take it as an invitation.

"Did you tell Lamarck that Johnny had badmouthed him?" he asked, fixing her with his gaze.

"What?" Sandy said. Had that little brat told on her? It was either him or Ponyboy. "No! He must be lying! I would never say such a thing. He just doesn't like me, that's all."

She was a little irritated that Sodapop had sat up. She had really wanted to lie down next to him.

"I know you did it, Sandy, because my brother doesn't lie to me. I just asked to give you the chance to fess up."

"Tha... He must have misunderstood," she said, turning a little pale.

"Can you tell me, then, why Johnny got detention if it wasn't because you told Lamarck that lie about him?"

Sodapop could literally feel Steve and Evie's eyes on them. Steve was no doubt excited about him finally telling Sandy a thing or two.

"Well... I..." she started. Clearly, she didn't know how to get out of this one. "I... I got cheerleading practice. See you guys later…"

**o0o0o**

"Do you wanna go see Soda at the stables today?" Ponyboy asked Johnny at lunch the next day. "He asked me to take you down there after school if you want."

Johnny put his fork down and looked over at Ponyboy. Part of him was thrilled to get another chance to be close to Sodapop, but he was also nervous about seeing him again, after what had happened in the shower the other night. He didn't know if he could look at Soda without thinking about it, and what if Soda could guess that he had been fantasizing about him while doing… _that_?

"Sure... We can do that."

"Better change into something else, though, or your uniform's gonna get dirty."

**o0o0o**

After school, Johnny met up with Ponyboy in front of the main building. He had changed into a pair of jeans, a black shirt, and a jacket - the warmest he had, although probably not warm enough. It was much colder here than back home.

The facilities around the stables were spectacular. Large riding arenas for dressage and showjumping, green pastures with white railing, and old impressive, well-kept stable-buildings. There were several indoor arenas as well.

"Wow," said Johnny, looking around.

A handful of students were riding around in the outside arenas. Others were grooming horses tied to the beams outside the stables. Sodapop was nowhere to be seen.

Ponyboy walked up to a pretty red-haired girl, who was brushing a chestnut gelding.

"Do you know where Sodapop is? He was supposed to be down here..."

The girl smiled at him. "Oh, he's out riding. He should be back soon, though, he's been away for an hour or so."

"Oh, ok. Thank you," said Ponyboy, trying to take his eyes off the girl. She was very pretty, he thought.

"You're Sodapop's little brother, aren't you?" she asked.

"Um, yeah."

"Of course you are," she smiled. "You're real cute, too,"

Ponyboy blushed bright red. "Th-thank you. I... I guess. And... and thanks for telling me where Soda is." He mumbled "thank you" several more times, as he turned and walked away with Johnny.

Johnny looked over at Pony, studying his face. He started giggling all of the sudden.

"W-what?" Pony asked.

"Oh nothing," Johnny said and gave a small whistle.

Pony started rubbing his arm nervously and Johnny couldn't help himself anymore.

"So... how long you had a crush on the redhead?"

"I haven't! I don't! I don't have a crush on her. She's two years older than me, anyway. She'd never be interested in a fifteen-year-old. And she's Bob's girlfriend. That mean dark-haired Soc..."

"Well," Johnny teased. "You sure looked like you were into her."

"Well, she's real pretty. Didn't you notice?" asked Pony, giving Johnny a funny look.

Johnny scratched his neck. "Oh... um... Yeah, she was real good looking." Truthfully, he hadn't noticed anything other than she had red hair.

They walked around a bit, looking at the premises and petting some of the horses at the fence while they were waiting for Sodapop to come back.

"Soda rarely rides in the arenas," Ponyboy explained, scratching the forehead of a content looking pony. "He prefers the nature. He can go faster and there's all the cross-country obstacles as well.

"What about you," asked Johnny. "Do you ever ride?"

Ponyboy shook his head. "To be honest I'm a little scared of horses. Yeah, I know it's funny with my name and all. Darry always says that with Soda's horse obsession and my Pepsi addiction our names should have been switched."

Johnny laughed a bit and scratched a black horse behind the ear.

They both turned around, hearing the sound of galloping hooves. It was Sodapop coming at them on a grey mare, full speed. Pony instinctively backed up as close to the fence as possible and Johnny followed his example.

"Hey, you two," smiled Soda, pulling the horse to a halt right in front of them. "Sorry, I wasn't here. I forgot the time."

"That's okay," said Pony. "I've been showing Johnny around."

"Good! Well, let's get started, then. I don't suppose you wanna come, Pony?"

Ponyboy shook his head.

"Well, Johnny, ready to go for a ride?"

"I – I guess…But which horse am I gonna ride?"

"Mine, of course," grinned Sodapop. He took off his helmet and handed it to Johnny. "Put that on and Pony'll give you a leg up."

"A... a leg?" asked Johnny, looking confused as he buckled the helmet.

But Ponyboy had already bent over, ready to support Johnny's lower leg. Johnny eyed the horse nervously. It was dancing around on the spot, shaking it's head impatiently.

Ponyboy was glad he wasn't in Johnny's shoes right now. Soda always did like feisty horses the best. He was very good at handling them, too. He could make _any _horse like him and work for him. His only true ambition in life was becoming a professional horse trainer, specializing in difficult horses. Pony really hoped it would work out for him. He would never thrive in a regular 9-to-5 job.

Soda reached a hand down for Johnny; Johnny took hold of it and with Pony's help Soda pulled him up so he could swing his leg over the horse's rear and sit behind Soda.

"Hold on tight," said Soda and set the horse off in a flying gallop, barely giving Johnny time to put his arms around his waist.

Johnny clung to Sodapop as they flew over the top of a hill. He had his eyes squeezed shut and his arms around Soda's waist so tight that he wasn't sure he would be able to breathe.

As Johnny desperately dug his fingers into Sodapop, Soda realized that it was probably going a bit too fast, so he slowed the horse down to a slow canter.

Feeling a little less panicky Johnny managed to open his eyes and see where they were. There were green fields as far as the eye could see and a few threes stood high against the sky. A little further down there was a lake with a willow reaching out over the water.

"S-sure is pretty around here..."

He suddenly realized how much he was shaking but hoped that Soda wouldn't notice.

"Yeah, it is. Very green. And the leaves are real pretty with all the colors here in the fall."

Soda had slowed the horse down to a walk now and he felt Johnny relaxing a bit. It occurred to Soda that maybe it had been a bit much for Johnny riding so fast, even if he had Soda to hold on to. He was still sitting flush against him, his arms wrapped around his waist, and Soda thought if felt kind of good.

Johnny leaned in against Soda's back with his head against his shoulder. He couldn't help but smile.

"It's real cold here, though... don't you think? I... I mean... you're from the South as well, so... But I dunno how long you've been here..."

Soda laughed. "Just wait a couple of months and you'll know what cold is! There'll probably be a lot of snow, too. I'm guessing you've never seen snow before. It's real beautiful."

"Well... I've seen it on pictures."

_Idiot. Who hasn't seen snow on pictures?_

"But… it's… probably a lot more beautiful in real life... And colder too."

"We came about a year ago and that's the first time I seen snow. You'll like it. We can go for a ride then. It's awesome riding in the snow."

They were quiet for a little while, just enjoying the nature and listening to the horse's breathing and the creaking of the saddle.

"You comin' to the school party?" asked Sodapop. "Everybody's going - even Darry. There has to be a couple of teachers there to make sure we behave and stuff."

"Um… Yeah, I guess," Johnny said. "One if my roommates asked me the other day."

He turned his head to look around. The nature around here was really something and he needed to keep his mind on something else than the fact that he was sitting so close to Soda. The movement of the horse made Johnny move against the boy in front of him, making it hard for him to focus on anything else.

"So... So horses…. You like horses?"

_Stupid. Of course Soda likes horses!_

"Yup. I've always loved horses. Even before I could walk, they tell me. They're such amazing animals. So _alive_ if you know what I mean. When you ride, you can just feel all the power underneath you and you really feel how fast you're going, because you ain't sitting inside a closed vehicle. It's even better than driving fast - although I love that too. Mom and Dad forbade me to ride anymore after an accident. I've never been so mad at them in my life. I did it anyway, though, whenever I got the chance..."

"You had an accident?" Johnny remembered Ponyboy telling him about it but he had not given any details. It must have been serious if his parents didn't want him to ride anymore.

It was true though. What Soda said. You could really feel how fast you were going when on a horse, although Johnny was sitting behind Soda. For now that was more than enough for him, but maybe one day he would be able to ride on his own and get the full feeling of it. Feel free. No worries. Just enjoy the moment.

"I was helping a dude out with some cattle - you know there's lots of cattle and cowboys in Oklahoma - and one of them cows spooked my horse. I broke a collarbone and got a concussion. I was out for a little while - I think that's what scared my parents the most."

"I can imagine..." Johnny said slowly. "But... they just decided you couldn't ride no anymore 'cause they cared about you, I guess…"

"I know," said Sodapop, smiling softly and feeling a sting of sadness.

* * *

**A/N: We realize that this ends rather abruptly, but the scene is so long that we had to cut it in two.**

**Oh - and don't forget to check out the illustration for the chapter (link on my profile) :)**


	10. You've really Got It bad

**Chapter 10 – "****You've really Got It bad"**

"You should try and ride on your own," said Sodapop suddenly. He stopped the mare, swung his leg over her neck, and jumped down.

"W-what?" Johnny spluttered. "I... I dunno how!" He looked down at Soda, who, to his relief, still had a hold on the reins.

"Don't worry," smiled Sodapop, seeing how scared the other boy looked. "I'll hold on to her all the time. And she's tired now, so she won't try anything."

He helped Johnny move forward into the saddle. Then he adjusted the stirrups so the length fit.

"Stroke her neck to tell her she's good and that you're a nice person."

Johnny reached out and carefully ran his hand down the silky skin.

"Now take the reins," Soda instructed and showed Johnny how to hold them. "You wanna keep a slight slack in 'em all the time except when you want her to slow down or turn. Most English riders keep 'em real tight all the time and force the horse's head down. Imagine how unpleasant that is for the horse.

"E-English?"

"Oh, I ain't talking about the British," laughed Sodapop. Johnny sure didn't know a thing about horses. "English is the riding style. There's Western and there's English. You can only ride English here at the school. I ain't sayin' Western riders ain't rough on the horses too, it's just in a different way. A lot of riders just don't think about how they treat their horses and that's a shame. They forget they're dealing with living creatures. It ain't very smart either, 'cause if ya treat a horse right she'll do anything for ya."

Johnny smiled shyly at Soda. "You sure know a lot about horses..." He carefully leaned a bit forward and stroked the mare's neck again. She seemed to like it. "I always wanted an animal. A dog or a cat. Never did think about horses, thought, 'cause we live in the city. Unless my dad would let it stay in the living room," he grinned.

Sodapop laughed. Then asked, "Why didn't your parents let you have a cat or a dog?"

"My parents..."

Johnny didn't know what to say. He had once asked if he could have a dog when one of their neighbors' dog had puppies, but that turned out to be a mistake. His father had laughed and told him he was no good for anything and wouldn't even be able to take care of a dumb dog, and his mom had slapped him and yelled at him for having no respect for her, wanting to bring a filthy animal into the house, chewing her shoes and ruining the furniture.

"They just don't like animals..."

"That's too bad..." said Sodapop. "Well, let's get going, shall we? I just gotta show ya how to sit right."

He placed a hand on Johnny's chest and another on the small of his back and molded him into the right position.

Johnny's breath hitched and he tensed up.

"The most important thing is to relax," instructed Sodapop and let his hand slide down Johnny's thigh to his lower leg. "Lower your heels a bit and then relax your legs. Your lower body belongs to the horse."

Johnny gulped and tried to focus on what Soda was saying and not on the hand running down his body. He closed his eyes for a second and took in a deep breath. "O-okay..." he stuttered and let Sodapop adjust his legs and feet.

_Oh, God, he's touching me… Stay calm. Stay calm!_

"You... you promise you won't let go... right?"

"Cross my heart," smiled Sodapop. "Now relax and try and find your point of balance. You stay on a horse by balance - not leg power."

Johnny moved a little to see if he could find what Soda called the balance as the horse started walking. Riding a horse didn't seem too hard now. Then of course, Sodapop was leading her, and if he let go, Johnny would probably jump off in fear.

"W-who taught ya to ride?" he asked, still focusing on keeping his balance.

"No one really," said Soda as he walked alongside the horse. "Trial and error. There's a lot of stables around Tulsa and I hung around them and jumped on a horse whenever I got the chance." He laughed. "I musta fallen off a thousand times before I got the hang of it!"

"So... you just taught yourself?" Johnny asked, gazing admiringly at the boy walking next to the horse. It seemed the more he looked at him, the more he wanted to be close to him. He wanted him to lift him down off the horse and kiss him. He wanted to lay in the grass with him and look at the sky, holding his hand, and -

Johnny shook his head briefly to snap out of it.

_Don't think about it. You know it can never happen. You know he has girls swarming around him all the time._

"Yup! We couldn't afford lessons. We're real poor, you know. Well, it's better now 'cause Darry gets a decent salary, but back in Tulsa we had nothing. We lived in a real bad neighborhood, too. I never had my own horse."

A horse was the only thing Sodapop had ever really wanted for himself. He didn't mind not being able to afford material goods. He didn't care how worn his clothes and shoes were or if he didn't have a smartphone or laptop. But having his own horse had always been his dream.

"Misty here ain't mine either. She belongs to the school," he said and affectionately stroked the mare's neck. I wish she were mine, though. Pony once tried to save up to buy a horse for me – ain't that sweet?"

"Yeah... that's real sweet," Johnny said with a smile on his face. "But I guess… since you're real good with horses and all, you can easily get a job with horses. And then maybe get your own."

"Sure hope so!"

Sodapop looked up at Johnny, who seemed to have become comfortable with the horse and was enjoying the ride.

"Well, we should probably get back now, and it'll take forever if we just walk, so I'll get back up. You can sit in front this time."

Soda took a hold of the saddle for support and deftly jumped up behind Johnny.

"I'll take the reins and you can hold on to a wisp of mane," he said and reached around Johnny's waist to take the reins.

Johnny gulped, feeling his heart start to pound like mad in his chest. He was suddenly sweating profusely, and wondered how he could have thought it was too cold just a few minutes ago. He carefully weaved his clammy fingers into the mare's mane as Sodapop turned her to head home. He sat there stiff as a board, trying not to lean back into Soda.

"Lean back against me, or you won't be able to keep your balance," said Soda, almost resting his chin on Johnny's shoulder (Johnny sitting a bit higher than him because of the saddle). Johnny seemed very tense again and Soda suddenly got the thought that maybe he wasn't comfortable with sitting like this. Maybe he wasn't used to close physical contact. Or maybe it was because he was a boy. "Are you okay with sitting so close to me?" he asked.

"I... um… Yeah, it's okay..." Johnny said, trying not to sound like this was something he had dreamt about doing ever since he first laid eyes on Sodapop.

He gulped again and forced himself to relax as he leaned back into Sodapop. It felt like something out of a dream, riding back together in a slow canter, moving in sync with Soda and the horse. Feeling Soda's body flush against his back, his arms around him, and his breath close to his ear, made Johnny lightheaded and feel warm inside.

When they reached the stables Soda jumped off and helped Johnny down.

"You're probably gonna be real sore tomorrow and walk funny 'cause you ain't used to riding."

"More to be teased about," said Johnny with a silly grin on his face.

**o0o0o**

Sandy was walking down the path to the stables when she suddenly spotted Sodapop coming riding in on Misty. She stopped dead in her tracks, realizing that there was another rider as well and that it was Johnny.

"That... little... bastard!" she hissed, watching Soda lift Johnny down from the horse. "That was supposed to be _me_!" She narrowed her eyes. "Oh... Just you wait, you little brat!" She turned and headed back toward the school. "Just you wait..."

**o0o0o**

"Pony said something about you two studying together tonight, didn't he?" asked Sodapop and checked his watch. "You should probably get going, then, if ya want a shower first. I can't come with ya, 'cause I have to tend to a couple of horses."

There were no stable boys employed as it was the students' own responsibility to take care of their horses. Some of the more spoiled students, however, were very displeased with this arrangement; they found it below them to do such dirty work so they paid Sodapop to do some of it for them. Soda didn't mind at all and was glad he could help Darry out a bit with the finances

"Oh. Yeah. Right. I forgot… Um… Thank you for the ride... I mean… Yeah… The horse ride... Thank you." Johnny stuttered and hurried off.

_I am… such… a dork._

**o0o0o**

Johnny met up with Ponyboy at the library half an hour later.

"S-sorry I'm late... I needed to take a shower first," he said and dropped down across from Pony, who was sitting with books and papers spread out all over the table.

"So… Was it good?" Ponyboy grinned.

"It was scary. But fun," Johnny smiled and took out his own books.

They both got busy reading. After a little while, without looking up from his book, Ponyboy asked, "So - how long have you known you were gay?"

Johnny's head snapped up and he dropped his pencil in surprise. "_What_?" he exclaimed.

Another student a few tables down shushed them and Johnny ducked his head behind his book. "W-what do you mean by that?" he asked in a low voice, peeping at Ponyboy over the edge.

_Oh, God... How does he know? Is it really that obvious?_

"Oh, come on," said Ponyboy and put his book down. "I've seen how you look at my brother."

"Um... I... I've known for a few years..." Johnny admitted. "Sorry… I just think your brother is very handsome. That's all…"

"Of course you do. Everybody does. But it's more than that, ainit? I mean, you've really got it bad, don't ya?" Ponyboy couldn't help chuckling at the expression on Johnny's face. "Relax, man. I ain't gonna kill you or nothing."

"Got... got it bad?" Johnny said in an almost whisper. "Just… Please don't tell anyone, okay? I ain't exactly out..." He put his book down and took a deep breath. "And I won't hit on your brother. Promise."

"Of course I won't tell. Don't worry 'bout it," said Ponyboy.

Ponyboy considered telling Johnny that Sodapop was bisexual, but decided against it. He didn't want him to get his hopes up in case Soda wasn't interested. There was no doubt Soda really liked Johnny, but in _that_ way? Probably not.

"Thanks," Johnny said and went back to reading.

After a few minutes of silence, he looked up and Ponyboy again. "So… You gonna ask anyone to the party on Saturday?"

"No," said Ponyboy. "I don't know who that should be. I'm also kinda shy about that sort of thing, ya know. But it'll be fun anyways."

* * *

**A/N: Remember to check out the illustration for the chapter (link on my profile).**


	11. I'm just Gonna Go Get Something to Drink

**Chapter 11 – "****I'm just Gonna Go Get Something to Drink"**

"Ponyboy!" yelled Darry and knocked on the bathroom door for the third time that evening. "How long does it take to do your hair? You've been in there for an hour! Some of us would like to use the bathroom as well!"

Sodapop chuckled from his spot on the couch. He had been quick and conquered the bathroom before Pony so he didn't have to worry about being late. It was the same every time they were going somewhere. And Darry never learned it.

"Maybe we should change his name to Ponygirl with all that time he spends in front of the mirror," joked Sodapop.

**o0o0o**

Johnny stood in front of the mirror, trying to get his hair to sit neat, but it was no use. His hair was like Harry Potter's - no matter what he did, it immediately fell back into its messy state, his bangs flopping forward. He sighed, put on a blue shirt over the dark T-shit, and left the bathroom.

"Excited about the party? Gonna see if you can get some tail?" Victor laughed.

"T... tail?" Johnny asked insecurely.

"Man, you sure are slow. It means get a girl and take her home to have sex. You know that don't you?" Harry burst out in laughter as Johnny's face turned red. "Don't worry, I'm sure someone wants a slave boy for the night."

"Cut it out, already," Tyler said and walked toward the door. "You coming, Johnny?"

Johnny got off the bed and hurried off with Tyler before the two others could say anything else.

**o0o0o**

The dining hall was festively decorated and a dance floor had been set up on the right side. Upbeat music was booming from the loudspeakers and a few had already started dancing.

"Pony -" said Darry, pointing a finger in his little brother's face, "- no drinking, ya hear? If anyone offers you anything, you say NO."

"Yeah," sighed Ponyboy. He hadn't planned on drinking, but Darry talking to him like that made him feel like such a child.

Of course, alcohol was not allowed at school parties, but everybody knew there were always people who smuggled it in. The teachers mostly turned a blind eye to it, as long as it didn't get out of hand.

"Hey, Johnny!" cried Ponyboy as he spotted Johnny sitting by himself at one of the tables. He bounced over there followed by Sodapop.

Steve and Evie joined them at the table a minute later. Evie sat down on Steve's lap and looked at Ponyboy and Johnny.

"Hey you two. How are you guys feeling?" She was, of course, referring to the fight the other day.

"We're fine," said Pony. "Soda and me are used to fighting. We did it all the time back in Tulsa."

It was true enough (although _all the time _was a bit of an exaggeration), but it wasn't really something Ponyboy was proud of. But for some reason, right now he needed to feel tough and not like a little child.

Two-Bit was suddenly standing behind Sodapop. "Heeeey!" he said and did a drum roll on his head, and before anyone could say anything, he was off again, chasing a blond girl towards the dance floor.

"I just gotta go do something," Steve said and hurried off after Two-Bit.

He caught up with him on the dance floor where he was already busy chatting up the blonde. Steve hated to interrupt him but he had already paid the guy.

"Hey there, Two-Bit," he said and poked his shoulder.

Two-Bit turned around. "Yo – Steve!" he grinned and turned to the girl. "Excuse me a moment, babe," he said and went with Steve over to a darker corner of the hall.

"You got the stuff?" Steve asked.

Two-Bit looked around before pulling out a bottle of vodka from his inside pocket. "Always deliver, my good man. And this… is on the house," Two-Bit laughed and handed Steve a pack of condoms. "Now, be a good boy and share with your friends."

**o0o0o**

"Hey there, boys," sounded a sugary voice.

Sandy, dressed in a striped miniskirt and a sky blue blouse, leaving very little to the imagination, pulled a chair up and squeezed herself in between Ponyboy and Sodapop.

"Hey, Soda. Wanna dance?"

"I just got here," said Sodapop as if that was a good excuse not to dance.

"I'm just gonna go get something to drink," Johnny mumbled and stood up.

Sandy eyeballed him and he hurried off, feeling very uncomfortable.

She turned her attention back to Sodapop. "Aww, come on, baby," she said, pouting her lips, "- just one dance."

"Ok. _One _dance," sighed Soda and allowed her to drag him to the dance floor. Maybe she would give him a break if he did this. Although he knew she probably wouldn't.

**o0o0o**

Ponyboy got up and joined Johnny at the punch table. "She forced him to dance with her, the stupid cow," he said, pouring himself a glass. He didn't care what Darry said - he was going to call her a cow as long as it was just Johnny who heard.

"Y-yeah, well... He can make his own decision on who he wanna dance with. I guess…" said Johnny, watching the dancing couple.

He sighed and took a sip of the punch. It tasted rather strange but he didn't care. He just kept his eyes on Soda and Sandy. When Sandy put her head on Soda's shoulder, Johnny emptied his glass in one gulp and took another. He looked at Ponyboy, who seemed very irritated over Sandy as well and was also on his second glass.

"W... what d'ya think about the punch? Tastes a little weird don't it?"

Ponyboy shrugged and took another large gulp. "Tastes fine, I think."

**o0o0o**

Darry stood leaning against the wall, keeping an eye on the students.

Lauren Douglas, the principal's secretary, walked up to him.

"Hi there," she smiled. "They made you zoo-keeper for the nigh, too?"

"Yeah," Darry said, still leaning casually against the wall, but when he saw who was speaking he stood up straight. "Yeah, well… Gotta take care of the kids," he said, trying to sound cool.

Lauren smiled at him and then looked out on the dance floor. Darry sent his gaze in the same direction, spotting Sodapop and Sandy.

"So... how is…" he cleared his throat, "office work?"

"Oh, it's good. Although the old man can be a bit of a handful sometimes," she smiled and rolled her eyes.

Darry chuckled.

"And you? How's your job?"

She and Darry had never had the chance to talk much. She had only been employed since the start of term and, being secretary, she didn't usually hang out in the teachers' lounge.

"It's okay. Quite a challenge, you know, with the high expectations to the football team, of course, but I think I'm doing an okay job. Although some of the kids are a pain in the… well, you know."

Lauren laughed. "Yes, I think I know what you mean."

Darry smiled at her. She was a very pretty woman and seemed very nice as well. He would like to get to know her better.

"So, um... where're you from? I'm from Tulsa. Oklahoma."

"Well, I was born in Chicago but I've lived here most of my life. Oklahoma - that's pretty far away from here. Don't you miss your family?"

"My only family is here," said Darry, looking straight ahead. "I took in my brothers when our parents died."

"Oh..." said Lauren, feeling bad she asked. "I'm sorry. That's rough, losing both your parents at once. And Taking care of two boys all on your own..."

"Yeah. But my brothers are good kids," said Darry with a small smile. "I'm grateful they were allowed to attend the school. I want them to have the best in life."

**o0o0o**

Sodapop went back to the table after having made Sandy aware that they had danced to two songs, and that was it for him. She followed him and plopped down next to him.

"Where's Pony and Johnny?" he asked.

"What does it matter? You aren't their babysitter," moped Sandy.

Sodapop sent her a warning look and she shut her mouth.

"I got booze," grinned Steve. "Sure you don't want some for a change?" he asked Soda.

Sodapop shook his head. "I have plenty fun without it," he grinned.

He did. He had tried getting drunk, of course - he wasn't a prude - but it didn't really do anything for him. In fact, alcohol tended to make him tired and what was the fun in that?

"You don't know what you're missing," Steve said and took a sip. "Hey, isn't that Silvia?" he said, spotting a blond girl enter the room. "Strange to see her out of bed this early."

Evie slapped him on the shoulder and he laughed

**o0o0o**

Johnny had downed four glasses of punch by now and he was getting a little dizzy. He had focused so much on Soda that he hadn't kept an eye on just how much he drank.

"I should go talk to him..." he said. "I should talk… And she should walk... Awaaaay... Far away... But, hmm," he scratched his head. "Pony?" He looked around and realized Ponyboy had left. "Where'd he go..." Johnny narrowed his eyes and spotted him sneaking around some tables.

"Hey, Johnny," Tyler said, walking up to him and taking a glass of punch. "Have you tried the punch?"

"No thanks. We just met."

Tyler raised his eyebrows, trying to understand what he was talking about. "Are you okay?"

Johnny leaned back against the table. "Fiiine. But Punch and me just met. I don't wanna get closer..." He looked at Tyler with a serious expression. "How do I tell Punch I'm not interested in a long term relationship? I mean... how?"

Tyler laughed. "Johnny, you're not making any sense, but I guess you did try the punch already.

Johnny walked back to the table, another glass in his hand. He sat down opposite Sodapop and sent him a goofy grin. Sandy looked daggers at him.

"Any of ya'll want any?" Johnny asked, holding out his glass.

"Nah, kid. I got some," said Steve and showed him the vodka bottle. "You want any of this?"

"Naw... I don't dri-drink."

"Yeah, I can see that," Steve laughed.

"Johnny," Sodapop asked after studying the boy a little. "Where did Pony go?"

Johnny looked around and pointed in the direction of a cluster of tables. "He's... playing hide and seek. Shhh - Don't tell 'im, I told where he is…"

"God, you're weird," Sandy snorted and leaned against Sodapop's shoulder.

"Well, a… at least I c'n sit on ma own…" Johnny mumbled and Sandy sat back up, glaring at him.

Ponyboy came back, not in a complete straight line.

"Zoda, I spied on Darry. He'zz hookin' up with some chick! Shhh," he said loudly, sending a cascade of spit over the table. "Don't tell anyone!"

Steve laughed. "Oh God, the kids have really hit the punch!"

"What kids? Why did they hit the punch?" asked Ponyboy, confused.

"I don't think you should drink anymore of this," said Sodapop and tried to take the glass away from Pony. But Pony held on.

"Nooo! You can go get your on soda, Soda!" he said and laughed loudly at his own joke. Johnny joined in.

"Hey, Sodapop..." said a brunette, who had just walked up to their table. "Wanna dance?"

"Don't you see he's busy?" snarled Sandy and took a possessive hold of Soda's shoulder.

"Yeah, why not?" said Soda. He shook Sandy's hands off and followed the brunette onto the dance floor.

The girl Steve had called Sylvia came over and sat down at their table.

"Hi," she said. "Can I have some of that?"

Steve poured some vodka into her glass of Sprite. He also gave Evie and Sandy some more and took a long swig himself directly from the bottle.

"Not you, little man," he said, moving the bottle away from Pony, who was reaching for it.

"Hi, there," purred Sylvia, eying Johnny up. "You're new here, aren't you?"

Johnny looked at her. "No... I've actually been sittin' here for a while." He then turned his head again and took another gulp of his glass.

Silvia didn't seem to quite understand what he meant, but Steve laughed. "God, kid... you're funny as hell!"

"A-actually, "Johnny said. "Hell ain't that funny. You go to hell when you lived a life of evil and bad... ness... and then your undergo torment for all eternity. So I don't think izz a funny place." He hiccoughed. "Unlezz… unless you're a… a masochist."

"I like pain," said Silvia in s seductive voice and winked at him.

"You can get help for that."

**o0o0o**

Lauren smiled at Darry. "That's really admirable how you take care of your brothers. You could have just let them go into foster care and get on with your own life. I think most young men would have done that."

"Thanks," Darry said with a gentle smile. "I love my brothers. Not sure they always know it, but I do... And family ya gotta take care of."

**o0o0o**

Sylvia inched closer to Johnny and discretely lay a hand on his thigh as she leaned forward, making sure he had a good view of her quite impressive cleavage.

"Did anyone ever tell you you're a real sweetheart?" she purred into his ear.

Johnny looked down at Silvia's breasts, which were almost under his chin, and quickly looked back up. "H-how would you know? We… We just met."

Johnny was getting rather uncomfortable with the girl leaning in over him like that, so he tried to move away from her.

"Beat it, Sylvia," sounded a hard voice.

They all looked up, surprised. It was Sodapop, who had just come back from his dance with the brunette.

"He ain't interested, so leave him alone."

Ponyboy was a little surprised to hear his brother talk like that. He usually only used that tone on Socs and other bullies.

"Uh, Curtis, you gonna get rough with me?" Sylvia asked and licked her finger.

"Yes, I am, but not in the way you'd like. Now get lost."

Sodapop stood there, staring her down. She set her jaw and stared back. But when Soda didn't budge, she looked away and got up.

"Alright, alright. You boys are no fun at all," she said in a sour voice and marched off.

"Sorry, Johnny," said Soda as he sat down next to him. "It ain't that I don't want ya to get lucky, but that girl is bad news. And she's Dallas Winston's on-and-off girl. I don't want ya to get into more trouble with him."

"I ain't interested in her," Johnny said and smiled widely at Soda before turning to his glass again

"You sure you haven't had enough there, little man?" Steve asked.

"Oh, let him," Sandy said, irritated that all the attention seemed to be on Johnny.

"What's wrong with this?" Johnny asked, staring into his cup. "Ain't nuffin' comin' out..." He handed the empty cup to Soda. "See? It's broken."

"Damn, that kid is drunk," Steve laughed. "And the other. Hey, Pony?" he said, waving a hand in front of Ponyboy, who was looking distant and smiling like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Maybe I should go dance with him," Evie giggled. "Good way to burn it off so Mr. Curtis won't kill him later."

"Don't you dare run off with Pony!" Steve said, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Oh, come on. I'm just helping him out."

"He doesn't need any help!"

But Evie just shook her head, grinning, and dragged Ponyboy onto the dance floor anyway.

* * *

**A/N: The second half of the party will be next chapter - so you're gonna have to wait till Thursday to get the rest...**

**Oh - and don't forget to check out the illustration for the chapter (link on my profile) :)**


	12. He really Likes You

**A/N: So - on with the party!**

* * *

**Chapter 12 – "He really Likes You"**

Sandy sighed and took a hold of Sodapop, who was still looking at Johnny. "Come on, Soda. I got something I wanna show you."

"What?" asked Sodapop. "Can't ya show me here?"

He was not keen on going anywhere with her.

"No, I want you to come with meee," she pleaded and batted her eyelashes at him.

"She probably wanna show you her room..." Johnny mumbled.

Sandy glared at him. "Shut up, you little brat!"

"That's it, Sandy!" said Sodapop and slammed his fist into the table. "I've been nice and patient with you - but I won't sit here and listen to you talk to my friends like that!"

Sandy looked at him, stunned. "I... I'm sorry! But… he's really annoying."

Great. Now that stupid kid had made Soda mad at her.

"Yeah? And what are you? There should be a picture of you next to 'annoying' in the dictionary," said Soda.

"I… I need some air," Johnny suddenly said. "This room... sure is hot all of a sudden." He got up and wandered towards the exit.

"Hey, hey - What's with the bad vibes?" said Two-Bit who just came over.

"Just Soda and Sandy having a bit of an argument," Steve grinned.

"Oh. Trouble in paradise?" Two-Bit laughed. "You already forgot about me, Sandy?"

"Yeah, well..." Sandy said, still trying to get over Soda's outburst. She took a sip of her drink and decided that maybe he was okay again. "He's just a bit moody, right baby?" She said and leaned in against him. "Soda's my baby, Two-Bit... Sorry," she said with a giggle.

"I ain't your baby, I never was. So quit it ok?" said Sodapop, leaning away from her.

**o0o0o**

Johnny got outside and leaned over a sturdy stone rail. He had not brought his jacket but the cold air from the night wind really did him good. That punch sure had made him dizzy and made him blabber away. It had felt good, though... even though he probably did talk too much and now Sandy was mad at him. Not that he cared.

**o0o0o**

Evie had taken Ponyboy up to the bar and given him a glass of cola, telling him it was punch. He was so drunk he couldn't tell the difference.

On the way back Ponyboy spotted Darry standing with Lauren, laughing and chatting away. He scurried over to them before Evie could stop him.

"Hi, Darry," he said. "Soda's being harassed by - " he suddenly remembered that Darry didn't want him to call Sandy a cow, so he said, "- by the barnyard animal."

Then he noticed Lauren. "You're Mr... Miss… Douglas!"

Darry looked at him, stunned. "Pony? What do you... Are you _drunk_?"

"Sorry, Mr. Curtis," Evie said, smiling nervously. "He had way too much sugar."

**o0o0o**

"Why don't you like me?" said Sandy in a petulant voice. "I am the perfect girl for you and you know it."

"Oh, please," Steve said, rolling his eyes. He could be mean now that Evie wasn't around. "If that's the best Soda can do I feel sorry for him."

"Well I'm better than some guy!" she blurted out and then clapped a hand to her mouth. She didn't want to sound homophobic in front of Sodapop. "I… I mean... I just don't get it!" She took a hold of Soda's arm." I can treat you real good!"

Two-Bit raised an eyebrow at her. "Wow, Soda, you must be damn good, 'cause she's acting like you're a drug or something."

"She don't know how good I am! We never did nothing! And we ain't ever gonna!" said Soda and shook her arm off. "So why don't ya go find someone else if you don't wanna live your life in celibacy. 'Cause you ain't getting any from me!" he said, looking directly at her.

He was mad that she talked that way about being with a guy. So she _had_ heard the rumors. Fine. But it was no business of hers who he chose to date. Besides, what was the point in bringing that up now? As if there was some guy she was competing with.

She looked right back at him. First with a shocked look on her face and then it turned to anger. "Fine! But don't think you can just come running to me when you regret!" she said and splashed her drink in his face before storming out.

"Wow... feisty one, isn't she?" Two-Bit said and handed Sodapop a napkin.

Soda wiped his face as clean as he could. He was more relieved than mad. Maybe she had finally gotten the message and would leave him alone.

"I'm just gonna go check on Johnny," he said and got up.

He stopped by the restroom on his way out to wash his face. It reeked of vodka and his skin were sticky from the sugar in the Sprite.

**o0o0o**

Darry took a good look at Pony who didn't seem to be able to stand straight. "What did you drink?"

"Punch," said Pony, wondering why Darry was interested in that.

Darry took a hold of his brother and smelled his breath. "As I thought – them damn kids spiked the punch again!" He was just about to get mad but then realized it wasn't really Pony's fault. He also didn't want to start yelling at him in front of Lauren.

"Evie - make sure he stays on cola, okay. No more punch!"

"Yes, I will do that, Mr. Curtis," she said and put her hands on Pony's shoulders. "Now let's get back to Soda, shall we?"

**o0o0o**

Sodapop found Johnny outside sitting on the ground leaning against the stone rail.

"Hey, Johnnycake."

He squatted next to Johnny and held out a glass of water for him. "Drink some of this, it'll do you good."

Johnny looked at him a little shyly and took the glass.

"You're gonna get sick, sitting out here without a jacket," said Soda.

He knew that when people were drunk they usually didn't realize how cold it was. It looked like Johnny was staring to sober up, though.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked in a soft voice

"Ye... yeah..." Johnny said and took a gulp of water. "I'm just a little dizzy. I think… I might've made Sandy kinda mad, huh?"

He shivered a little and rubbed his arms after putting the glass down.

"Yeah," laughed Soda. "For some reason she don't like you. But don't feel bad about that. Don't feel bad 'bout talking back to her, either. She was totally outta order. Pony told me what she did in math class." Soda smiled at the other boy who was looking a little sad and awfully cute. "I made her mad too, 'cause I told her pretty straight that she was never gonna get me into bed."

"You... told her that?" Johnny said, gawking at Sodapop. He couldn't help but feel happy and relieved. "I'm sorry if I caused it…" he said slowly and tried to get up. He was getting cold from sitting on the pavement.

"Don't be. It was gonna happen sooner or later. I realize that now. I just kept hoping she'd get the picture at some point. I never let her believe she had a chance. She just didn't wanna see it, I guess."

"I guess she just got a huge crush on you," Johnny said and pulled himself up by the rail. "And who can blame her?" He then realised he had said the last part out loud. "I mean – um… I heard many girls talk about you... so... so it's no wonder... I suppose.,. Um…"

Soda chuckled. "You really had too much punch, huh? You realize it was spiked, don't ya? Have you ever been drunk before?"

"No. I actually never did wanna drink..."

Having a mother like Johnny's, and having seen what drinking did to her, had not exactly made alcohol seem appealing to Johnny.

"Oh, well, everybody should try it at least once, I think. It don't hurt any if you don't overdo it."

Johnny really took things too seriously. The kind of sensitive guy who just worried too much. A bit like Pony.

Sodapop smiled softly at Johnny and ran his fingers gently over his cheek. "Sylvia was right, though. You are a sweetheart..."

Johnny felt his heart skip at least two beats and he blushed heavily, looking into Sodapop's deep brown eyes.

"I… well... yeah... um..."

He leaned back against the rail and took a deep breath, trying to settle his nerves. Soda was so gentle and sweet and his touch made his knees shake. Johnny desperately wished he could kiss him, but he had promised Ponyboy he wouldn't hit on his brother. Well, Johnny had told him he wouldn't. It wasn't like Pony had told him not to. But… he also didn't say he could. The more he thought about it the dizzier he felt.

"I need to get back to Pony. Do you wanna come as well or should I help you back to your dorm first?"

Johnny really wanted to go back to the party but he wasn't feeling well. "I... I think I need to call it a night..." he said and took a step forward but stumbled over his own feet, bumping into Soda. Soda caught him by the shoulders as Johnny banged his head against his chest. He looked up at him a little embarrassed. "S...sorry."

"That's ok," chuckled Sodapop. "Let's get you to bed." He wrapped an arm around Johnny's shoulders and started leading him toward the living quarters

Johnny gratefully leaned on him. He was mad at himself for getting drunk, but there was nothing to do about it now. He was just glad Soda wanted to escort him to his dorm, because he wasn't sure he would have been able to walk all the way there on his own.

**o0o0o**

After walking Johnny to his dorm, Sodapop went back to the party and was met in the entrance by a displeased looking Darry.

"Where've you been? Your little brother is drunk! Did you not notice that?"

"I did. But it ain't like I've left him all alone. And I haven't been gone long."

"Well, I want you to take him to bed! He's had enough partying for one night."

Sodapop nodded and went over to get Ponyboy. He was sitting next to Steve and Evie, who was busy making out. He had his head propped up on his elbows and looked very tired.

"Come on, little buddy - let's get you home."

Two-Bit bumped into Soda on the way out. "Oh - little guy going home to sleep it off?" he grinned and Soda nodded. "Well, sleep tight. Come by the kitchen tomorrow and I'll have Mrs. Shirly make you breakfast. 'Cause from the looks of it, your big brother won't be home early," he laughed and pointed at Darry, who was talking to Lauren again.

Soda looked over at the couple and smiled to himself. Darry could really do with some romance. Sodapop wasn't sure when he had last had a girlfriend, but it was some time before they had moved in. Darry had been way too busy paying attention to them.

"I'm tired, Soda," mumbled Ponyboy.

**o0o0o**

Sodapop made Pony drink a large glass of water before bed.

"Soda?" asked Pony suddenly when they lay in bed.

"Yeah? I thought you were asleep already."

"Do you like Johnny?"

"What? Sure I like Johnny. He's a great kid."

"He really likes you."

"Well, I should think so. He seems like he does. Why are you pointing this out?"

"Did you know he's gay?"

"W-what?" asked Sodapop, surprised. He hadn't expected _that_ to come out of Pony's mouth.

"He told me. Or rather – I guessed it. He's in love with you. Like _really_ bad."

Soda just looked at Ponyboy, trying to digest the information. So _that_ was the reason Johnny always got so nervous and flustered around him…

**o0o0o**

As the party died out, Darry said goodbye to Lauren. They had agreed to meet for coffee on Monday and talk in more calm surroundings. He walked home with a smile on his face and a sense of happiness. Something he hadn't felt in a long time. Sure he was happy, but not this kind of happy.

As he got home, the lights were still on in the kitchen. He wondered if maybe Sodapop had kept the lights on, should Ponyboy feel sick and need to get to the bathroom quick. To Darry's surprise, though, he found Soda sitting in the kitchen with a glass of milk.

"Soda?" Darry said and sat down. "Are you okay?"

He looked at his brother, who seemed to have a lot on his mind. Darry wasn't sure of it was because of that Sandy girl, but he guessed it was. Ponyboy had so nicely hinted that she was bothering Soda earlier.

Sodapop looked up. " I'm fine. Just thinking..."

He wasn't going to tell Darry what he was thinking about, though. Johnny wasn't out, Pony had said, and it wasn't Darry's business, anyway. He wasn't sure it was his either. Johnny probably didn't want him to know. And Soda didn't think Pony would have told him the secret if he had been sober.

"So you had fun, huh?" Sodapop grinned with a cheeky look on his face.

"Oh... Well... Yeah," Darry said and scratched his neck nervously. "But I did my job looking out for you kids! Well, I better get to bed. Don't stay up too long," he said, eager to avoid an interrogation.

"So, did you set a date for the wedding yet?" Soda grinned.

Darry spun around. "You... You… Oh, just you wait till you fall for someone and I get to tease you." He then walked back and ruffled Soda's hair. "We're gonna have coffee on Monday. No wedding plans yet." He gave Soda a small grin. A rare sight. "Well… Goodnight." He hurried off before Soda could say anything else.

**o0o0o**

_"Soda..." moaned the boy underneath him. "I' been wanting you for so long. Take me - please." _

_Soda laced their fingers together as he thrust slowly back and forth into tight heat. He watched the boy look up at him with big, black eyes full of desire, bangs damp with sweat and sticking to his forehead. Soda dipped his head for a passionate kiss. He sped up his movements as Johnny wrapped his legs around him, pulling himself closer. _

Sodapop woke with a start, breathing heavily. That dream had been so lifelike! He looked over at Ponyboy. Luckily, he was fast asleep. That was the drawback of sharing bed with your brother.

He tiptoed into the bathroom to take care of his "problem." The dream still fresh in his mind, it took less than a minute.

* * *

**A/N: Remember to check out the illustration for the chapter (link on my profile).**


	13. Look at Me

**Chapter 13 – "Look at Me"**

The next day, Johnny was sitting at a table in the dining hall poking at the food on his plate. He wasn't hungry at all but Mrs. Harris had insisted that he eat something.

"If you don't eat, there won't be much of you left with that skinny body of yours!"

Johnny was glad that most students seemed to be sleeping in today. His head was killing him and his stomach was still upset. Mrs. Harris had just said that it wasn't something a good meal couldn't cure.

_How my mom can keep drinking, knowing it'll make her feel like this, I'll never get…_

All three brothers came down for breakfast, gladly accepting Mrs. Harris' invitation. Well, Ponyboy had to be dragged out of bed - he wasn't feeling too good.

"Hey there, Johnny," said Sodapop, smiling and winking.

Hearing his name, Johnny looked up, spotted Soda, and sat straight up in his seat. "He-hello…"

Darry sat Ponyboy down on a chair next to Johnny. "I'll just go get us some breakfast," he said and wandered off.

Johnny looked over at Ponyboy, who looked even sicker than Johnny felt. "You okay?" he asked.

"Not feeling so hot," Pony moped. "You don't look it either..."

Soda fished out a small handful of pills from his pocket.

"Aspirins. Thought you'd like some," he said and gave both Ponyboy and Johnny a couple. "Some food and these will do wonders - you'll see. And some fresh air afterwards."

Darry came back, balancing three plates.

"So, what're you kids gonna do today?" he asked after they had been eating for a few minutes.

"I thought I'd be taking these two boozers out for a walk," said Sodapop.

"NO!" gasped Pony, looking like Soda had suggested he dive off very tall cliff. "You can't make me! I'm going back to bed! "

Soda laughed. "Okay, okay! Don't get your panties in a twist! But Johnny'll come - won't ya, Johnnycake?"

Johnny was about to take a bite but dropped it as Soda asked. "Um... O-o-okay. Sure… I'll come. Some f-fresh air might d-do me good."

When they were done eating, Darry dragged Ponyboy to his feet. "Okay, little man - let's go."

**o0o0o**

"So, Johnny, where d'ya wanna go?" asked Sodapop, smiling and tilting his head.

"Oh… um... "Johnny scratched his head. "I wouldn't mind the lake or just a place where there's some wind..." He sent Soda a shy smile. "And let's walk, please. I think I'll get sick if we gotta ride again."

Sodapop laughed and put on his jacket. "Okay, I won't take you for a ride then," he said with a wink and couldn't help but grin a bit, seeing Johnny's face turning slightly red.

Stepping outside, a cold breeze hit their faces and sent a shiver down Johnny's spine. He quickly zipped his jacket.

"I forgot how cold it is here," he said and followed Sodapop down the path.

They walked in silence for a while before Johnny took a deep breath and built up some courage to talk to Sodapop. He still felt embarrassed about the day before.

"How… how you feeling after yesterday? Did… did you sleep okay?"

"Oh, I slept real good. Had a nice dream," Soda said.

"About what?"

"Oh, that's a little too _private_ to tell, if you know what I mean," he grinned and gave Johnny a wink.

"O... oh... I-I get it," Johnny said, fixing his gaze on something straight ahead.

He felt a little ashamed about the fact that he couldn't help but wonder who Soda might have dreamt of, and he also felt a little jealous.

"How 'bout you?" Soda asked.

"Me? No! No, I didn't dream about anybody! I - I mean, I didn't have… I didn't…" he suddenly stopped, realizing that Soda just meant if he had slept well. "Ye-yeah, I slept okay. Although one of my roommates ha-had a girl with him back. She left a few hours later..."

"Oh - man, that must've been embarrassing. It's a little rude having sex in front of other people who ain't got nowhere else to go. Well, if he does it again you can always crash at our place. You can sleep in my bed."

Johnny's jaw dropped and a gasp escaped him. "U-um…Th-thank you, but the floor is fine... or... or the couch," he stuttered. "I... I don't wanna take up space in your bed... I mean..."

_Just - stop - talking!_

"Oh, you won't have to share it with me," laughed Soda. "I don't normally use it. I sleep in Pony's room. He has some very, very bad nightmares sometimes. It's sort of a trauma from losing Mom and Dad. Right after it happened he had them almost every night. It's getting rarer and rarer now, but it's best that I'm there. He sleeps better knowing I'm there to comfort him if he has one."

Johnny smiled. "You're a real good brother. He's lucky to have you."

He looked around as they got further away from the school. The trees had lost all their leaves and the wind was lifting them into the air, making the sky full of different colors.

"You're real far from home. Don't ya miss it?" asked Sodapop.

Soda remembered having missed Tulsa like crazy when they had first moved - even though they had lived in a bad neighborhood. But at least he had his family with him (what was left, anyway). Johnny had left everything and everybody he knew behind.

"Not really, no," Johnny said, watching the leaves flying around. "I didn't have many friends. Actually I had none." He gave a small chuckle. "I dunno if you noticed but I'm kinda nerdy, and I got teased a lot for being different." He gave a small sigh and brushed the hair out of his face. "And my parents, they…Well… My uncle was the only one that seemed to care about me, but he lives in Charleston so I didn't see him too often."

"I'm sorry to hear that. But good for you ya didn't try to be like everybody else. Most people do that. That's how they get popular. But it ain't worth it, Johnny. You gotta hold on to who you are. Special - and not just a copy of someone else."

"I… I'm not special…" said Johnny, feeling a rush in his stomach and heat rise up in his cheeks.

"Sure you're special! _I've_ never met anyone like you," smiled Soda, making Johnny blush even more.

They stopped at the top of a hill, taking in the spectacular view. The lake lay about half a mile away, and Johnny recognized the large tree leaning out over the water.

"I'd like to live in a place like this sometime," he said. "Out in the country. Away from the big cities. I've only been to the country a few times."

"It _is_ nice, ain't it?" agreed Sodapop. "I'd like to have ranch one day, full of horses. Not too far from the city, though, or it might get a bit boring. It's nice to have different stuff to do. You can come live with me if I get my own ranch," he grinned and winked again.

Maybe it wasn't very nice to tease Johnny like this, knowing that he had a huge crush on him, but Sodapop just couldn't resist it.

Johnny looked at him with wide eyes. Why was Soda saying things like this? Sleep in his bed? Live on his ranch?

"T-that sounds n-nice..." he said in a shaking voice. "B-but I don't think I'd be much use on a ranch…"

They had reached the lake and sat down on a couple of rocks. Sodapop pointed out and named a few birds that were native to New England. Then he turned to face Johnny.

"You didn't leave a sweet little girlfriend behind, then?"

_Oh, God I'm mean…_

Johnny bit his lip and rubbed his hands nervously. "No… I didn't... never did care for it that much..."

"Care for what? Girls?"

"W-what?" Johnny looked at him in shock. "N-no! I mean, yes… I mean… I just..." He adjusted his glasses like he always did when he got nervous. "Oh - look!" he gasped and pointed at a bird they had already seen a dozen of.

Sodapop laughed. Okay, it wasn't fair torturing the poor boy anymore, he thought.

"Johnny," he said in a serious voice. "Look at me."

Johnny gulped and slowly turned his head.

Soda leaned forward so their faces were less than two feet apart. "If you could have me do whatever you wanted, what would you like the most for me to do right now? Tell me the truth."

Johnny's heart stopped for a second. Their faces were so close he could feel Soda's breath on his lips. He wasn't sure what to say. Should he just tell him? That all he wanted in the world was to kiss him? It was almost unbearable to have him so close and not feel his lips on his, but he feared Soda's response.

"I..." he said in a shaking voice and made his decision. "I want you… to kiss me."

Sodapop smiled in triumph. Then he closed the distance between them and pressed his lips softly to Johnny's. He pulled back a few second later and looked at Johnny, eager to see his reaction.

Johnny gazed at Soda, his mouth hanging slightly open. Had he really just kissed him? He hadn't even hesitated. Johnny wasn't sure what to think. This was almost too good to be true. Did Soda really want to kiss him? Or was he just teasing him? Or maybe he was just curious about what kissing a boy felt like.

"I..." he started and bit his lip. "Did... did you _wanna_ do that? Or... did you just do it c-cause I a-asked?"

Sodapop smiled. "Hey - I'm a nice guy, but I don't do stuff like that unless I want to. I just wanted to see just how much you wanted it."

"But... But I thought…" Johnny said and leaned back. "I thought you liked girls:"

"I _do_ like girls. But I like guys too. Sweet guys like you, anyways."

Johnny kept his head down. "So... sorry, I'm just really confused right now." He put a hand to his forehead. "I didn't mean to sound like I thought you were tricking me."

"I'm a little hurt you think I would be so mean..."

"I - I didn't. I'm sorry. I... I should just go... I didn't mean to upset you," Johnny said and got up.

_You're just so stupid! It's true what they say. You can't do anything right._

Soda caught him by the arm and pulled him back down.

"Hey... I was kidding. I'm not really hurt. I know you didn't mean it like that."

Johnny looked back at him with a sad look on his face. "I'm s-sorry, Soda… I'm pretty used to people making fun of me. And you're pretty much the only person that knows I'm… g-gay. Well, you and Pony."

"No one else knows? So you've never kissed anyone before?"

Johnny scratched his neck.

"Well... I kissed a girl once. She had a crush on me. And I wanted to be normal... But," he took a deep breath. "When she kissed me… I didn't feel anything."

"Well, let's see if I can make you feel something, shall we?" said Soda and leaned in to kiss Johnny again.

Johnny closed his eyes, feeling Soda's tongue on his lips, trying to coax them apart. He tentatively opened to allow Soda to slip his tongue inside.

Soda cupped Johnny's face in his hands and let his tongue softly caress the inside of his mouth in a slow, sensual kiss. He could feel Johnny being tense and unsure of how to respond properly.

"Just relax and go with it," Soda mumbled without letting their mouths part properly. "Just like with the horse."

Johnny moved his hand up and took a gentle hold on Soda's wrist. "O-okay..." he mumbled before Soda pressed their mouths together again. Johnny tried to relax and let his tongue move along Soda's. It felt incredible and he couldn't help but let a low sound escape from his throat.

They parted a little later, and Sodapop smiled at Johnny. "So - better than that girl?"

Johnny opened his eyes a little and looked back at the boy in front of him.

"M-much better..." he said, feeling dizzy and out of breath.

"Good," grinned Sodapop. "Well - maybe we should get back. Or they'll think I kidnapped you or something."

They walked back, mostly in silence. Johnny felt dazed, like he was walking in a dream. He could hardly believe it was true. That Sodapop had kissed him and told him he liked him.

* * *

**A/N: Remember to check out the illustration for the chapter (link on my profile).**


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